KABUL, Afghanistan — No one is immune to the coronavirus; and in a country ravaged by decades of war, peace talks simply can’t wait until the pandemic has run its deadly course.
That’s why the Afghan government and the Taliban met this weekend – on Skype.
The New York Times reports the U.S.-backed government and the insurgent group discussed an ongoing disagreement over a prisoner exchange. According to Reuters, the video call, which was set up by the United States and Qatar, lasted about two hours.
And apparently, COVID-19 is making the negotiations even more pressing.
“Everyone knows clearly that the threat of Coronavirus makes the release of prisoners urgent,” U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted Sunday in Pashto.
The Trump administration has been holding direct talks with the Taliban in hopes of bringing an end to America’s longest war.
U.S. troops have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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