Iran urges reduction of violence in Afghanistan

Iranian Foreign Minister's special assistant for Afghanistan affairs stressed the necessity of reducing violence and increasing collaborations in Afghanistan.

Mohammad-Ebrahim Taherian made the remarks in two separate talks with his German and Russian counterparts on Monday, IRNA reported.

Intra-Afghan dialogs are the best way to put an end to the ongoing crisis and reducing people's sufferings in Afghanistan, Taherian said reiterating Iran’s readiness to provide any kind of help to this end.

Last Tuesday, Afghan government representatives and Taliban officials resumed peace talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, aimed at ending decades of conflict, even as journalists and opponents have been killed amid a surge in violence.

The first round of talks, which kicked off in September, ended last month after the rivals agreed on procedural rules.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Afghanistan Bahador Aminian in Kabul last Tuesday, called for the continuation of Iran’s “positive and constructive role” in Afghan peace talks.

He also pointed to the fact that it was Iran that encouraged the Taliban group to join the peace talks.

Despite the beginning of the peace talks, in Afghanistan, violence has continued across that country with a new trend of targeted killings of officials, activists and journalists.

Taherian’s comments came while an armored vehicle belonging to the Italian embassy in Kabul was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) blast on Monday, local media reported.

"The vehicle that was targeted belongs to the Italian embassy and was carrying Afghan employees of the embassy. One person was slightly wounded in the blast," the security source told the Afghan newspaper Tolo News.

Source: Iran Daily