Afghanistan Conference in Geneva: The Forty Years War

The weather forecast for Kabul is good: In the coming days meteorologists expect temperatures of over 10 degrees Celsius throughout the day. Politically, it remains chilly, the situation in the Hindu Kush is getting worse.

On Tuesday, three US soldiers from NATO's Resolute Support mission were killed in a bombed raid in the disputed Ghazni province. The radical Islamic Taliban committed to the attack near the eponymous provincial capital.

According to official figures, the number of US soldiers killed this year rises to twelve. In total, more than 2,200 American men and women in uniform have been killed since the US invasion began in 2001 - by the Taliban and other radical groups such as the Islamic State terror militia.

Even more dramatic are the figures of the Afghan forces, which in 2015 took responsibility for security in the country from NATO troops. Head of state Aschraf Ghani recently declared that 28,529 Afghan soldiers and policemen have been killed since then - around 25 people per day.

By comparison, the Soviet Union lost almost 15,000 troops during its military presence in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989. The intervention of the Red Army took place in 1978 after a coup that resulted in an uprising.

Counting of parliamentary election results continues

Since then - for 40 years - the country no longer comes to rest. Also in 2019, this should not be different. The Taliban now control about half of the 34 Afghan provinces - more than ever since their fall.

Another target of the group, which was brutal from 1996 to 2001, is likely to be the torpedoing of the upcoming presidential elections on 20 April. Already the parliamentary elections a few weeks ago were a disaster:

• The Taliban committed numerous attacks in the run-up, killing Abdul Rasik Atschiksai, chief of police in Kandahar and one of their biggest enemies.
• The choice was chaotic. Only a third of the twelve million voters were able to vote.
• In the province of Ghazni, the vote did not take place because of disputes between ethnic groups.
• To date, the Independent Electoral Commission has been able to announce a preliminary result in only ten provinces, according to the Reuters news agency.

In addition, there is a drought in parts of the country, about 3.5 million Afghans are threatened according to UN data from the worst famine for decades. More than 200,000 people are said to have fled this year from starvation, another 300,000 men, women and children due to the fighting in their home provinces. Nevertheless, the interior ministers of the CDU and CSU demand SPIEGEL information more deportations from Germany to Afghanistan.

US is talking directly to the Taliban - in Qatar

The hope lies in the coming months on Zalmay Khalilzad, since September Special Representative for Afghanistan by US President Donald Trump. He recently negotiated directly with Taliban officials in Qatar for the start of possible peace negotiations. Result: open.

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas emphasized the importance of direct negotiations between the government in Kabul and the Taliban on Wednesday at the international Afghanistan conference of the UN in Geneva. The goal must be an "agreement between all political actors", "especially between the government and the Taliban".

This is the "only realistic way to stop the violence, to counter the terrorism of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and to protect the human rights of Afghan citizens, especially women and children," Maas said.

Afghan President appointed negotiating team

Afghanistan's President Ghani also stated in Geneva that he had assembled a twelve-member negotiating team to hold the peace talks. The goal is to integrate the Taliban into a "democratic and open society".

Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and Civil Service must function according to law. See full Achieving Peace summary here: https://t.co/mFnvb1u1Cg

Alone: ​​The Taliban reject direct contacts with the elected government so far. The religious extremists consider the democratic leadership in Kabul illegitimate and installed by the West. Whether their attitude changes, seems questionable - especially among the twelve people, the Ghani has entrusted with the envisaged negotiations, are currently also women. For the Taliban a no-go. They committed on Wednesday evening another attack in the capital.