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![Afghan Taliban Publicly Embraces Talks
Afghanistan’sTaliban has confirmed it has reached an “initial agreement” with the United States to open a contact office in Qatar.
“We are now ready to open a political office outside the country [Afghanistan] along with our strong presence inside the country for negotiations with the international community,” a Pashto-language statement issued to journalists said on January 3. “In this regard, we have reached an agreement with Qatar and other relevant sides.”](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx9nqrHKAb1qkgi6go1_500.jpg)
Afghan Taliban Publicly Embraces Talks
Afghanistan’sTaliban has confirmed it has reached an “initial agreement” with the United States to open a contact office in Qatar.
“We are now ready to open a political office outside the country [Afghanistan] along with our strong presence inside the country for negotiations with the international community,” a Pashto-language statement issued to journalists said on January 3. “In this regard, we have reached an agreement with Qatar and other relevant sides.”
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RFE/RL kicks off the new year with a trio of enterprising features and news reports from Afghanistan.
# After a decade of insurgency, the Afghan Taliban announced they have reached a preliminary agreement to set up a “political office” in Qatar andare willing to enter talks with the international community, a move one Afghan analyst has called “a good omen.”
# Once, Kabul’s Ghazi stadium was used by the Taliban for public punishment, like stoning women for adultery. Now it’s where Afghanistan’s first team of female boxers trains, aiming for gold in this summer’s Olympic Games.
# The torture endured by a 15-year-old newlywed at the hands of her in-laws has shocked Afghan officials and the world alike. The wounds, bruises, and scars that cover Sahar Gul’s battered body provide gruesome evidence of the abuse she endured in the six months since being sold into marriage far from home to a man twice her age.
Read more news from Afghanistan online and via the Gandhara blog. For breaking news in all RFE/RL broadcast regions, follow us also on Facebook and Twitter.
