August 9, 2021–Representatives from the United States, Russia, China, and Pakistan are meeting this week in an effort to breathe life into intra-Afghan peace talks. The members say there’s “no military solution” to the conflict in Afghanistan. Even so, the Taliban continued to make military advances over the weekend.
The Troika is scheduled for Wednesday in Doha, Qatar. This comes after a special representative briefed the UN Security Council on Friday about the mounting violence and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
What is the Troika
The August 11th meeting will be the third Extended Troika gathering of the four countries this year. Similarly, the representatives of the Troika also met on March 18th and April 30 of this year.
Representatives from the United States, Russia, China, and Pakistan comprise the Troika meeting. Notably, India is not included, even though that country faces the possibility of a raised threat level from the Taliban.
Accompanying those states are the Afghan negotiating team and members of the Taliban will also attend.
These four states work as a support system towards intra-Afghan negotiations between the Afhganistan government and the Taliban. Intended to create lasting peace between the Afghan government and Taliban, the Troika acts as a non-military actor in the reduction of violence in Afghanistan.
UN Security Council Meeting on Afghanistan
The United Nations Security Council met on Friday to discuss the escalation of violence within Afghanistan.
Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, informed the Security Council of the growing chaos within Afghanistan, “Ahead lies either a genuine peace negotiation or a tragically intertwined set of crises, an increasingly brutal conflict combined with an acute humanitarian situation and multiplying human rights abuses.”
Lyons supported the government of Afghanistan’s request for a special session of the Human Rights Council to launch a fact-finding mission.
Security Council members said they wanted effective peace talks. Furthermore, they want to combat the growing human rights violations and conflict purging the country. Members also expressed the need for larger humanitarian access for victims of humanitarian crimes within Afghanistan.
Taliban Marches On, Capturing More Territory
Meanwhile, the Taliban captured more provincial capitals over the weekend. The Taliban claims it’s overtaken six provincial capitals in four days, according to Al Jazeera news.
Resources Questioned
Still, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry estimated that the Taliban is gradually losing momentum.
“Nevertheless, the Taliban does not have the resources to seize and hold large cities, including the country’s capital Kabul,” Russian spokesperson Alexander Bikantov said on August 5.
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