Context
Close aides to Mullah Muhammad Omar, have met US representatives for the peace talks. Syed Muhammad Akbar Agha, the former leader of Jaish-ul-Muslimin Movement said that Taliban are open to negotiating with US and Qatar would be the best place for Taliban to open an office. In the negotiations, he aims to propose the release of important Taliban leaders incarcerated in Guantanamo, like Maulawi Khairkhah, Noorullah Noori, Maulawi Wasiq, Mohammad Nabi Khosti, Haji Wali Mohammad and Mullah Fazlullah.
Sayed Akbar is hopeful about the progress of the talks and says the location of the office does not matter. On the other hand, Afghan government has expressed disapproval over opening of the Taliban office in Qatar and recalled its ambassador, for not being consulted on the issue.
Speculations are that giving privileges to anti-state elements by the international community and the Afghan government would lead to negative results. Afghan political parties also believe that the Taliban office have been opened outside Afghanistan so the US can monitor the peace process itself.
