AfPak File: The US/Taliban Talks: Significance, Implications, And Next Steps

In recent days, the United States and the Taliban reportedly agreed to a framework for a potential deal - one that could involve the Taliban denying space to international terror groups and to an eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Though U.S. and Taliban representatives have met numerous times over the years, this marks the first time they have reached a framework agreement. What is the significance of this development, and what are the implications? And what might come next?

This latest episode of the AfPak File, a joint podcast series of RFE/RL and the Wilson Center, features a discussion with Dr. Thomas Johnson, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School; author of Taliban Narratives; The Use and Power of Stories in the Afghanistan Conflict, Mariam Safi, founding director of the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies; Freshta Jalalzai, a journalist with Radio Azadi, Radio Free Europe’s Afghanistan service; and Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.

The discussion is edited and moderated by Muhammad Tahir, RFE/RL’s Media Manager for South and Central Asia.

This podcast was originally published on RFE/RL.