Asia | When will the real talks begin?

As America draws down its troops, Afghans clear their throats

The two sides have yet to grasp the heart of the matter

Peace in our time

AFTER SIX months of intransigence and delay, the Taliban and Afghan government leaders at last sat down together on September 12th in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to seek an agreement on how to run their country. An accord in February between America and the Taliban mainly concerned the promised withdrawal of American troops by next May, as long as the Taliban guarantees not to harbour terrorists like al-Qaeda.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Clearing their throats”

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From the September 19th 2020 edition

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