KABUL — Taliban leaders will not participate in peace talks with the Afghan government, the insurgent group said Saturday, throwing into question a U.S.-backed plan to negotiate an end to the country’s 15-year-war.
Face-to-face talks between Afghan officials and Taliban leaders were scheduled to take place in Pakistan in early March, as part of a wider bid by the United States, Pakistan and China to broker peace between the two sides. Representatives from the three countries met in Kabul last month to set conditions for the talks.
But on Saturday, the Taliban rejected reports its leaders would participate in the meeting. Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour “has not authorized anyone to participate,” a statement said.
The statement, posted on the group’s website, complained that the Taliban’s political representatives have “not been kept informed about negotiations,” and that its leaders would refuse such talks as long as U.S. troops are fighting the Taliban on the battlefield.
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