Washington: The US is offering Taliban militants a safety network that includes job opportunities to persuade insurgents to join the Afghan peace process.
“Although some members of the Taliban may be weary of fighting and ready to lay down their weapons, they will only rejoin society if they believe their safety and the safety of their families are guaranteed, and if they have an opportunity to earn enough money to provide for their families,” reads the proposed Pentagon’s plan to Congress for addressing US security.
According to the Dawn, the US Defence Department has also outlined a plan for rehabilitating the Taliban rebels in a new Afghanistan.
The development comes days after the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of around 7,000 troops from Afghanistan.
For the past several years, Washington has been trying to persuade the Taliban to come to the negotiating table and formulate a peace process to end the 17-year-old conflict in Afghanistan. However, the Taliban asserted that the presence of foreign troops in the war-torn nation was a hindrance to achieving long-lasting peace.
On December 19, the US attended a peace talk with the Taliban in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During the talks, the US delegation had proposed that the Taliban conclude a truce for a period of six months, join the government of national unity and become part of the political system of Afghanistan.
Washington has also appointed Zalmay Khalilzad as Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador in order to initiate talks with the Taliban. Till now, Khalilzad has held a series of meetings with the group in Qatar and the UAE.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]