Afghanistan to set out plan for lasting peace at Kabul process conference
Today starts the second round of the Kabul Process to take place in the Afghan capital. President Ashraf Ghani intends for Afghanistan’s government to spearhead the peace process with representatives of 25 participating countries.
The Kabul Process began in June 2017 with the objective of reaching consensus between domestic and international actors of how to achieve and sustain peace in the region, especially in regards to counterterrorism efforts. This second round comes as the US has enacted a new strategy to help Afghanistan increase airstrikes against the Taliban in order to pressure them to negotiate. Taliban representatives have indicated its participation in peace talks is dependent on foreign troops retreating the area; the group will not be participating in the meeting.
After 16 years of war and continual Taliban strikes in Afghanistan, this round of the Kabul Process is not likely to bring about productive changes and structures to terminating the conflict and building peace. Expect Afghan and US representatives to continue pressuring Pakistan for transparency regarding its influence over Taliban and counterinsurgency efforts.
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