^{Barring any last minute hitch, the US and Taliban will start negotiations for a peaceful end to the 17-year conflict in Afghanistan. The Taliban are said to be in control of areas with about 15 million people, half of the Afghan population.}

^{Already US negotiators say they have ‘agreed’ a draft framework for peace with Taliban, which ruled the Asian nation between 1996 and 2001. They were ousted following the US invasion after the 9/11 attacks by al-Qaeda, which used the country as its headquarters. However, the Taliban have remained a dominant insurgency.}

^{Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the start of the conflict in 2001, both civilians and security forces. According to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who urged the Taliban to talk directly to his government following the announcement, at least 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed since 2014 when he became president. Several foreign forces have lost their lives in the conflict, particularly the US, which presently has the largest army in the country at 14,000 troops.}

^{While Metro Éireann supports any solution aimed at bringing the conflict to its final end, we also urge the international community to exercise caution in dealing with the Taliban, which has for decades refused to recognise the democratic will of the majority of the Afghan people to live peaceful and violence-free lives.}

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