Pakistan will on Wednesday host a new round of four-nation Afghan peace talks aimed at reviving long-stalled negotiations with the Taliban, a foreign office official said.
The group comprising Afghanistan, the United States, China and Pakistan has been attempting since January to restart the nascent peace process.
But the lack of progress has left many frustrated, as the Taliban ramp up their insurgency, launched in late-2001 after they were toppled from power by a US-led invasion.
A spokesman from Pakistan’s foreign office, Mohammed Nafees Zakaria, however tweeted that a fifth round of talks between the four countries would take place in Islamabad on Wednesday, without giving further details.
A joint statement issued after the fourth round in late February said direct peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban were “expected to take place” by early March.
But the Taliban announced in April the start of their “spring offensive” even as the government in Kabul tried to bring the insurgents back to the negotiating table to end their drawn-out conflict.
The Taliban have made the departure of all foreign forces a precondition to the resumption of direct peace talks with Kabul which began last summer in Pakistan but ended abruptly after it was revealed that their leader Mullah Omar had been dead for two years.
Pakistan had hosted a milestone first round of direct talks with the Taliban in July last year.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)