October 17, 2017
Negotiators (click here) from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States met in Oman on October 16 to try to find ways of reviving peace talks with the Afghan Taliban.
It was not clear whether any Taliban militants had joined the talks, which have so far failed to restart a peace process that collapsed in 2015.
Taliban sources have said they would stay away from the discussions in Muscat, casting doubt on prospects for reviving the long-stalled negotiations.
Pakistani officials said the talks had resumed on Pakistan's initiative. The Pakistani team was led by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua.
The Afghan team, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, said the talks would focus on relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan and implementing Pakistan's commitments to fight terrorism....
The USA is running a proxy war in Afghanistan. That is all the USA is doing. There is no other reason for the USA to be in Afghanistan. NONE!
It must be The Domino Effect AGAIN! There has to be a reason somewhere in the world to keep the "War Machine Lobby" in business.
By Erin Cunningham
Kabul — Iran and Russia (click here) have stepped up challenges to U.S. power in Afghanistan, American and Afghan officials say, seizing on the uncertainty of future U.S. policy to expand ties with the Taliban and weaken the country’s Western-backed government.
The moves come as tensions have flared between the United States, Iran and Russia over the conflict in Syria, and officials worry that the fallout could hurt Afghanistan’s chances for peace. For years, Iran and Russia have pushed for a U.S. withdrawal.
Now, as the Taliban gains ground and the White House appears to lack a clear Afghan policy, Iran and Russia have boosted support for insurgents and sidelined the United States from regional diplomacy on the war.
Russia on Friday will host high-level talks on Afghanistan with Iranian, Pakistani and Chinese diplomats, the Kremlin said. But the United States, irked by Moscow’s recent outreach to the Taliban, has not confirmed whether it will attend.
Russia has “begun to publicly legitimize the Taliban,” and recent Russian and Iranian actions in Afghanistan “are to undermine the United States and NATO,” the top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson Jr., said in Senate testimony in February....
The thing is "What Domino Effect?" India? Really? Lookey thar, Iran is carrying out a two front war. In Iraq against Daesh and now in Afghanistan with Russia against the USA. Interesting. Iran? Conventional warfare to defeat the USA?
We never belonged in Iraq.
We don't belong in Afghanistan.
We no longer do!
