India and former Northern Alliance Leader Atta Noor discuss increased level of Afghanistan violence

Atta Mohammad Noor discussed the recent increase in violence in Afghanistan even as the peace process is underway.

New Delhi: Atta Mohammad Noor, prominent Afghanistan politician and former member of the Northern Alliance resistance group against Taliban had a series of meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla in New Delhi. He discussed the recent increase in violence in Afghanistan even as the peace process is underway.

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava in response to a question said, "During the meeting views were exchanged on the current situation in Afghanistan including on the ongoing peace process and the increased level of violence in Afghanistan. We reiterated our long term commitment towards the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan."

The peace process or the intra-Afghan talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban which started in September are underway but increasing in the country. Recently, heavy violence was seen in the country's southern Helmand province backed by Taliban. This comes ahead of the withdrawal of the US troops from the country by Christmas as announced by US President Donald Trump.

Earlier Atta Noor said, "India has the right and should engage the Taliban and in line with their national interests".

Atta Noor is the third prominent politician to visit India in last month. Earlier Abdul Rashid Dostum, former vice president of Afghanistan and Chairperson of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Dr Abdullah Abdullah had visited India.

In 2016, he personally took up arms back to repel a terrorist attack on the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif and protected it. During the Taliban rein in the country in the 1990s, Noor had served as a commander in Ahmad Shah Massoud's Nothern front.