US and Taliban are to meet in Qatar for fresh talks on Monday

KABUL : The US and the Taliban are to meet in Qatar for fresh talks on Monday, seeking an end to 17 years of grinding conflict in Afghanistan, with the stakes ratcheting higher as the spring fighting season approaches.

Marathon talks held in Doha last month have stoked hopes of a breakthrough after the two sides walked away with a 'draft framework' that included a Taliban commitment to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for international terror groups.

It was the most substantial engagement by Washington with the militants since US forces ousted them from power in 2001.

But there is still no accord on a timetable for a US withdrawal or a ceasefire — both major issues on which previous efforts have foundered.

This time Washington’s special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has spearheaded the months-long effort, is expected to face an expanded Taliban negotiating team headed by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s former deputy minister of foreign affairs.

Neither side has stated how long they expect the meetings to last or the details of what will be discussed.

Analysts say this round will likely see the Taliban push for the removal of its leaders from a UN travel blacklist, matched with pressure from the US for the militants to open a dialogue with the Afghan government.

US President Trump’s apparent eagerness to end America’s longest war, the Afghan government’s fear of being sidelined, and the coming of spring all weigh on the process.

“Eyes are on the Taliban to see if they are capable of compromising,” said analyst Michael Semple.

But there is also growing unease, with fears the government is being pushed aside and that progress which many Afghans have paid for with their lives could yet be undone if the US rushes for the exits.