U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (pictured) says that although talks with the Taliban have produced the framework for a peace deal there is still a "long way to go" before a final agreement.

Speaking at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on February 8, Khalilzad said he was "hopeful" a peace deal could be finalized before Afghanistan’s presidential elections in July, but warned that there remained "a lot of work" to do.

"We are at the early stages of a protracted process," said Khalilzad, who has met with Taliban negotiators for a series of talks in the Middle East in recent months.

Khalilzad held six days of talks with Taliban negotiators in the Qatari capital, Doha, last month, culminating in the basic framework of a possible peace agreement.

The agreement calls for the Taliban to prevent international terrorist groups from basing themselves in Afghanistan and for the United States to withdraw its forces from the country.

The Taliban has yet to make concessions on two key U.S. demands -- implementing a cease-fire and agreeing to negotiate directly with Afghan government representatives as part of an Afghan-led, intra-Afghan peace process.

The Afghan government has been absent from the U.S.-Taliban talks, prompting anger and frustration in Kabul.

The Taliban considers the Kabul government a Western puppet and has so far refused to directly negotiate with it.

But Khalilzad said the next phase of the peace process will have to be Afghan-led, saying Washington role’s will "decrease" as Afghans from the warring sides hammer out a possible deal through an "inter-Afghan dialogue."

Khalilzad said there were indications that the Taliban could sit down with government representatives in a "multiparty format."

The former U.S. ambassador said there was "positive change" in Pakistan, which Washington and Kabul have long accused of sheltering the Taliban.

Khalilzad said Islamabad had helped facilitate recent talks between the militants and the United States, although he said Pakistan should "do more."

Russia hosted a second peace conference in Moscow from February 5-6, attracting representatives of neighboring countries, powerful Afghan power brokers, and Taliban officials.

U.S. officials have accused Russia of attempting to muddle the U.S.-backed peace process.

Khalilzad said the Russia-backed talks were "positive" as long as they helped facilitate intra-Afghan talks, not if they "polarize Afghans further."

"I'm not seeking to monopolize" the Afghan peace process, Khalilzad said, adding that regional countries should play a role in resolving the 17-year conflict.

As we go to print, we are hearing that following significant meetings in Doha, Qatar on Feb 26, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban has said the group is close to reaching an agreement with the United States on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

More here: https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-hopeful-on-possible-agreement-on-u-s-afghanistan-pullout/29792382.html?ltflags=mailer

Pray for wisdom and guidance for Zalmay Khalilzad as he seeks to broker an end to the fighting and insecurity.

Pray for meetings between politicians, tribal, ethnic and religious groups that they will build reconciliation and trust.

Pray that the superpowers will co-operate and not compete in the peace process.

Pray for the support and positive engagement of neighbouring countries.

Pray that the recent attacks in disputed Kashmir (between Pakistan and India) will not affect this peace process.  Pray that the tensions between Pakistan and India will also be resolved.

Pray for lasting peace in Afghanistan.

More at: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-khalilzad-u-s-envoy-says-long-way-to-go-before-peace-deal-with-taliban/29759907.html?ltflags=mailer

Suicide Attempts on the Rise

Officials said domestic violence, forced marriages and lack of awareness are among main reasons behind the suicide attempts.

The Public Health Directorate in Herat province, in the west of Afghanistan, has recorded almost 1,600 cases of suicide attempts since last March, showing a 10 percent decrease in the figures compared with the last solar year – March 2017 to March 2018. 

The figures by the Directorate show that 50 of those who attempted suicide lost their lives and those who attempted suicide aged between 15 to 25 years old.

Moreover, of the 1,600 individuals who have attempted suicide, at least 300 of them are men while others are women and girls.

The health directorate’s assessments show that domestic violence, forced marriages, lack of education and poverty are among the main reasons behind suicide attempts among the young generation in the province.

The head of Herat Hospital’s Burn Unit, Haidari, said lack of awareness about life is also among the main reasons behind suicide attempts by the youths. 

Meanwhile, statistics by the provincial Women's Affairs Directorate show that at least 600 cases of violence against women have been reported in the province since last March.

Herat Women’s Affairs Directorate Sumayya Taheri said women prefer to commit suicide “instead of suffering domestic violence”.

“The graph of suicide attempts and self-immolation cases is high in Herat and most of such cases are not registered,” Taheri said. “The statistics of the Public Health Directorate show an increase in suicide attempts and self-immolation cases in Herat which is concerning for us.”

Please keep Afghanistan and its long-suffering people in your prayers for peace and life to return to their land which has so long known much death and destruction through war and despair.

Pray too for deliverance from the false ideology of radical Islam that has fueled this tragic situation.

May His Gospel speed on and triumph there so that everyone may hear!

More:https://www.tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan/suicide-attempts-rise-herat