The Taliban's chief negotiator on Tuesday said the "only way for peace in Afghanistan" is through talks with the United States.
Speaking to the BBC, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai said the Taliban's "doors are open" if President Trump wants to restart peace negotiations. Both sides were close to reaching a deal, with Trump inviting senior Taliban leaders to Camp David, but earlier this month, Trump said talks were over after the Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul that left a dozen people, including a U.S. soldier, dead. The deal would have reportedly included the U.S. withdrawing thousands of troops from Afghanistan over the next few months.
"They killed thousands of Talibans according to them," Stanikzai said. "But in the meantime, if one [U.S.] soldier has been killed, that doesn't mean they should show that reaction because there is no ceasefire from both sides. From our side, our doors are open for negotiations. So we hope the other side also rethinks their decision regarding the negotiation." Data collected by the BBC shows that on average, 74 people were killed every day in Afghanistan last month.
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