1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Intra-Afghan Talks Commence in Doha, Qatar September 16, 2020 On September 12, 2020, Afghan government and Taliban representatives officially met to begin inaugural direct peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar, a significant m
2、oment with potentially dramatic implications for the course of the Afghan conflict. The United States, whose military involvement in Afghanistan is approaching its twentieth year, helped facilitate the talks while withdrawing U.S. military forces from the country. As negotiators begin their work, U.
3、S. officials, including Members of Congress, are expected to closely follow the negotiations, given the impact that a settlement could have on U.S. interests such as human rights and counterterrorism. Background After eighteen months of negotiations, the United States and the Taliban signed an agree
4、ment on February 29, 2020, laying out a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. and international troops in return for counterterrorism assurances by the Taliban. The pact also outlined plans for talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government (which was not a party to the agreement) by March 2020.
