Iran will continue talks with the Taliban in coordination with the Kabul government to help make Afghanistan a more secure and stable country, a senior security official said on Wednesday.
“The Afghan government has been informed of the communications and negotiations carried out with the Taliban with the aim of resolving the country’s security issues and this process will continue,” Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said during a meeting with Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib in Kabul.
No details on where and when the talks took place were given by the news agency, IRNA reported.
The Taliban have been waging an insurgency for a decade and a half to drive out international forces and overthrow the western-backed government in Kabul so they could reestablish their version of strict Islamic law.
Shamkhani’s comments came days after the US Department of Defense provided a semi-annual report to Congress on enhancing security and stability in Afghanistan, which touched upon Iran’s role in the stability of the landlocked country.
“Iran seeks a stable Afghan government that is responsive to Iranian goals, the elimination of IS [the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group], the removal of the US/NATO presence and the protection of Iranian concerns, such as water rights and border security,” read the report published on the Defense Department’s website.
Reconciliation Talks
The remarks by the Iranian official also follow reconciliation talks last week between the United States and Taliban officials in the UAE, AFP reported.
The Taliban said they held meetings with officials from the UAE, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as well, but the militants refused to meet a delegation from Afghanistan.
The renewed diplomatic efforts come, as Washington seeks a way out of the 17-year conflict.
An American official told AFP last week that US President Donald Trump had decided to pull out “roughly half” of the 14,000 US forces, but the White House has yet to confirm the widely-publicized move.
The Taliban has made significant territorial gains this year, as its fighters inflict record casualties on government forces.
Afghanistan’s largest militant group carried out an hours-long gun and bomb attack on a Kabul government compound on Monday that killed at least 43 people, one of the deadliest assaults on the capital this year.
Shared Interests
Shamkhani called for closer cooperation and consultation between Iran and Afghanistan—which share a long border in a volatile area—and said stronger ties in all spheres will serve mutual interests.
He also noted that terrorism and extremism are the main challenges facing Afghanistan, which should be addressed through the collective effort of regional nations.
Afghanistan’s national security advisor said Iran plays a “decisive” role in resolving issues besetting his country.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been one of the prime pillars of stability in the region and cooperation between the two countries will definitely help fix Afghanistan’s security issues,” Mohib added.
During his one-day trip, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council also held meetings with a number of other senior Afghan officials, in which a range of political, economic and security officials were discussed.
