Unnamed senior representatives of the Taliban, in their meeting with the United States (US) Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad and the Qatari Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani have asked US officials to announce its ultimate stance on the peace process immediately so that the militant group can finalise its ‘military’ plans for spring, reports Tolo News on February 11.
Meanwhile, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hizb-e-Islami (HeI), on February 11, in Kabul said that he believes, “Every peace agreement should keep the people’s rights and the national sovereignty of the country,” reports Tolo News. Hekmatyar further claimed that a peace agreement between the US and the Taliban will be signed soon. “I feel the agreement will be finalized soon. The recent statement by the US president about the incident in Khogyani District of Nangarhar in which he said that he (Trump) wants this to be the last American to be killed in Afghanistan, indicates that he (Trump) is serious about withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan,” Hekmatyar added.
Also, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on February 11, said that NATO supports US peace efforts, reports Tolo News. "We fully support the efforts led by the United States to end the conflict and to achieve a peaceful solution; our allies are consulting closely on the way forward,” said Stoltenberg. "The Taliban must understand they cannot win on the battlefield. They must commit to a reduction in violence and show that they are committed to a peaceful future in Afghanistan," Stoltenberg added.