Taliban appoints Mullah Baradar as head of Qatar office

Islamabad: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Afghan Taliban, was appointed the leader of its political office in Qatar to strengthen the militant group’s hand in peace talks with the United States as efforts continue to find a resolution to the conflict, media reports said.
Baradar, who was released from a prison in Pakistan in October last year, has been authorized to lead the political team and take decisions, Pakistan Today reported.
The Taliban issued a statement to announce Baradar’s appointment and a reshuffle in their team to put senior leaders into key positions as the talks with US officials gained momentum.
“This step has been taken to strengthen and properly handle the ongoing negotiations process with the United States,” the Taliban said in a statement.
The move comes as US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s meeting with the Taliban representatives, which was originally due to run over two days, entered its fourth day on Thursday.
“Baradar will soon fly to Qatar. He has been given the new position because the US wanted the senior Taliban leadership to participate in peace talks,” a senior Taliban official said, the daily reported.