Taliban Agrees to Oppose al Qaeda and Islamic State in Afghanistan by Craig Nelson – Wall Street Journal
In a landmark concession to the U.S., the Taliban has agreed to oppose any attempts by militant groups to use Afghanistan to stage terrorist attacks abroad, a person familiar with the deal said, as talks between the insurgents and American diplomats to end the 17-year Afghan war entered a fourth day in the Gulf state of Qatar.
Still under discussion in the talks are the withdrawal of some or all of the approximately 14,000 U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban’s main demand, and the future status of American military bases in the country, the person said.
Since the U.S. and the Taliban resumed formal discussions in late July on ending the war, American negotiators have sought assurances from the Taliban that militant groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda wouldn’t be allowed to operate from Afghan soil following any peace deal.
But previous attempts by the negotiators to gain such a concession have been rejected by some Taliban officials over concerns that they would be viewed by rank-and-file fighters as joining forces with Washington against the jihadist group al Qaeda, founded by Osama bin Laden, who is still revered by some militants, several people with knowledge of the talks have said…