Former Afghan president urges US to ‘put force’ into making Taliban talks happen

Afghanistan’s former president, Hamid Karzai, said he was saddened by the cancellation of talks with the Taliban. He told AP that peace won’t be possible in his homeland, ravaged by more than 17 years of war, until Afghans from all walks of life sit together and negotiate. Doha announced earlier that a scheduled gathering of Afghan-to-Afghan talks was postponed indefinitely after a falling out over who should attend. The talks were to start on Friday in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain an office. They would have marked the first time that Taliban and Kabul government officials sat together. Karzai did not blame a particular side for the cancellation, but he urged the US to “put force behind it to make [talks] happen.”