Afghanistan

The Afghan Taliban’s turbulent negotiations with the United States on a peace deal have ground to a halt over differences on how to reduce insurgent violence. The latest standoff in the peace process, being hosted by Qatar, comes amid a sharp increase in Taliban attacks on U.S.-backed Afghan government forces over the past week despite a very harsh winter.

The number of attacks, detailed in a quarterly inspector general report, highlights once more the disparity between talking points and the reality on the ground.

US forces in Afghanistan dropped a record number of bombs last year, more than at any other time in at least 10 years, according to the US Air Force.

Nearly one million people were on the move in Afghanistan last year, displaced by conflict and disasters or pushed home from neighbouring countries, according to new UN figures.

A spokesman for the Taliban has told a Pakistani newspaper that the militant group is hoping to reach an Afghan peace deal with U.S negotiators by the end of January. The comments by Suhail Shaheen … come after negotiators from the Taliban and the United States met for two days of talks in Qatar.

The Taliban have given the U.S. envoy their offer for a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan that would last between seven and 10 days, Taliban officials familiar with the negotiations said Thursday.

[…] U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Ghani discussed several topics including the need for a ceasefire, Ghani's spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said.

The search for peace will remain of “paramount importance” to Afghanistan as the country awaits the outcome of the recent presidential election, the top UN official in the country told the Security Council on Monday. Tadamichi Yamamoto, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), updated ambassadors on developments since voting took place in late September.

Renewed negotiations expected to pave the way for direct talks between Taliban and Kabul to end 18 years of war.