US undeterred by odds in Afghan peace effort

KABUL－US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Afghan capital on Monday amid an ongoing political crisis, a raging Taliban insurgency and rising coronavirus cases－all of which further threaten an already-floundering peace process.

Pompeo was holding both separate and joint meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who was named the winner of a contested election last year, along with his archrival Abdullah Abdullah. The latter also claims the presidency following the election.

The visit comes just a day after the Afghan government and the Taliban held a "virtual" meeting on arranging prisoner exchanges－a key step in a broader push for peace following a withdrawal deal signed between Washington and the militants last month.

The two sides spoke for over two hours in a Skype meeting facilitated by the United States and Qatar, officials said.

"Both sides exchanged options on initial technical steps for the release of prisoners," an Afghanistan National Security Council statement said, adding that a reduction in violence, direct talks as well as a permanent ceasefire were also discussed.

"Prisoner releases by both sides is an important step in the peace process, as stated in the US-Taliban agreement," US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted.

"Everyone clearly understands the coronavirus threat makes prisoner releases that much more urgent," he said, adding that "all sides conveyed their strong commitment to a reduction of violence, intra-Afghan negotiations, and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire".

The US-Taliban agreement, signed by Khalilzad and a senior Taliban official on Feb 29 in Doha, established a framework for bringing to an end the US' longest war, begun after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

It called notably for the freeing of up to 5,000 Taliban fighters held by Kabul, and up to 1,000 members of the Afghan government forces in insurgent hands.

That was meant to take place before the start of peace talks between the government－which was not a party to the talks that produced the Doha deal－and the Taliban, originally set for March 10.

After initially refusing to release the Taliban prisoners, President Ghani announced that the authorities would free 1,500 insurgents as a "gesture of goodwill" with plans to free another 3,500 prisoners after the talks are underway.

"We want guarantees that they will not return to fighting," Javid Faisal, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Security Council, told Agence France-Presse at the time.

The Taliban in turn rejected that proposal, saying its agreement with Washington called for all 5,000 prisoners to be freed before inter-Afghan talks could begin.

The Doha accord also calls for the gradual withdrawal of American and other foreign troops over a 14-month period－the main focus of US President Donald Trump's diplomatic efforts.

The first phase of that withdrawal has begun, though some troop movements have been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

In exchange, the Taliban committed to fight jihadist groups like al-Qaida and promised to negotiate for the first time with Kabul.

But since the Doha agreement was signed, the Taliban have carried out scores of attacks.

Political chaos in Kabul has further complicated matters, with Ghani's former chief executive Abdullah also claiming the presidency following last September's bitterly disputed election.

The impasse and continued fighting along with the world's preoccupation with the coronavirus has sparked fears the window for a peace deal is closing fast.

Afghan health officials have reported just 40 cases of the novel coronavirus and one death to date.

However health experts fear the contagion is spreading as tens of thousands of Afghans have returned home in recent weeks after fleeing virus-hit Iran.

Agencies