Afghan president Ghani says Taliban should enter ‘serious talks’ with govt

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Monday that the Taliban should “enter serious talks” with his government, after the insurgents and the US both touted progress during negotiations in Qatar last week. A months-long diplomatic push by Washington to get the Taliban to talk to Kabul culminated in six days of meetings between the US and the insurgents in Doha, AFP reports. However, the Taliban has long refused to negotiate with the Afghan government to end the 17-year conflict, branding them as “puppets.” Ghani said in a nationally televised address that he called on the Taliban to “show their Afghan will, and accept Afghans’ demand for peace.” Afghan authorities have previously complained of being excluded from the discussions between the US and Taliban.