{"id":29793,"date":"2021-04-21T19:37:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-21T19:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:08:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:08:39","slug":"us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/","title":{"rendered":"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KABUL, Afghanistan \u2014 An upcoming<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/03\/08\/us-presents-warring-afghan-sides-with-draft-peace-agreement\/\" target=_blank> international peace conference<\/a> that was meant to move Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides to a power-sharing deal and ensure an orderly U.S. exit from the country has been postponed, its sponsors announced Wednesday. They cited a lack of prospects for meaningful progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As peace efforts stalled, Germany\u2019s Defense Ministry suggested NATO military planners were contemplating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/earlier-withdrawal-for-international-troops-from-afghanistan-under-consideration\/\" target=_blank>a possible withdrawal of international troops<\/a> from Afghanistan as early as July 4. That\u2019s more than two months ahead of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/14\/biden-says-keeping-us-troops-in-afghanistan-past-this-summer-makes-no-sense-to-me\/\" target=_blank>the planned Sept. 11 pullout date<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul are currently considering whether to shorten the withdrawal period,\u201d said German Defense Ministry spokesman David Helmbold. \u201cThe 4th of July is now being considered as a pullout date. The ministry informed the (German parliament\u2019s) defense committee about this today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, the latest delay in getting Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides to hammer out a peace deal underscored the difficulties the Biden administration and NATO are facing in orchestrating an orderly exit from conflict-scarred Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/03\/08\/us-presents-warring-afghan-sides-with-draft-peace-agreement\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20326512588304.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US presents warring Afghan sides with draft peace agreement<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The document outlines the terms of a cease-fire and its enforcement, calls for the protection of the rights of women, children and minorities and envisions a truth and reconciliation commission aimed at healing 42 years of conflict.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both have said they would begin withdrawing their remaining troops \u2014 a total of close to 13,000 \u2014 from the country on May 1 and complete the pullout by Sept. 11, no matter what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision to delay the conference came several days after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/03\/18\/russia-hosts-afghan-peace-conference-hoping-to-boost-talks-ahead-of-may-1-deadline-for-us-troop-withdrawal\/\" target=_blank>Taliban insurgents<\/a>, who are key to peace efforts, dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No new date was given for the conference, which was to have started Saturday under the sponsorship of the United Nations, Turkey and Qatar. Turkey\u2019s foreign minister said the conference was delayed until after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in mid-May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just hours before the announcement of the postponement, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of Afghan security personnel, wounding seven people in the capital Kabul. The Interior Ministry said civilians and security personnel were among the wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attack was the first in weeks in the capital, even as targeted killings have escalated and Afghanistan\u2019s security personnel have come under relentless attacks by Taliban insurgents. Recent months have also seen an increase in government bombing raids on suspected Taliban positions and increased raids by Afghan special forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Residents fear the attack could be a harbinger of what\u2019s to come as foreign troops prepare to begin their final withdrawal from Afghanistan. No one took immediate responsibility for the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the conference was postponed because of \u201clack of clarity\u201d by the participants, without elaborating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement Wednesday that the conference will be held at \u201ca later date when conditions for making meaningful progress would be more favorable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until now, the Taliban have refused to sign on to the conference even as Pakistan, where their leadership council resides, has been pressing the hardline Islamic militia to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Kabul on Wednesday, the Council for National Reconciliation tasked with negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban, blamed the Islamic insurgents\u2019 \u201clack of cooperation and readiness\u201d for the delay, saying they would meet in the coming days to plot their way forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Islamabad, Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its support for the peace conference in Turkey saying \u201cthere is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Taliban have accused Washington of breaching an agreement signed last year under which the U.S. was to have withdrawn the last of its troops by May 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But President Joe Biden, who inherited that deal with the Taliban from his predecessor, last week said the remaining estimated 2,500 troops would begin leaving on May 1. All American and NATO troops would be gone by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist assault on the U.S. that launched the U.S.-led invasion to hunt down al-Qaida\u2019s leader Osama bin Laden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Sunday, the Taliban issued an English-language statement on their Al Emara site, indicating they were not ready to attend the conference. They claimed that a powerful propaganda campaign had been launched, hyping expectations that a peace deal would be reached at the end of the planned 10-day meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The statement said this was an attempt \u201cto push the Taliban, willingly or unwillingly, to a rushed decision which was needed by America.\u201d It alleged that the aim of the conference was to \u201ccomplete a for-show road map before the withdrawal of foreign forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/04\/20\/afghan-withdrawal-will-make-terrorism-fight-harder-says-top-us-general-in-the-mideast\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5720778.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Afghan withdrawal will make terrorism fight harder, says top US general in the Mideast<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">U.S. officials have made it clear that military commanders did not recommend the full, unconditional withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Kabul, Afghan government-allied negotiators had anticipated a delay as none had received an invitation to the conference and several were without visas to Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price would not confirm the postponement but said the U.S. would continue diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen it comes to the talks in Istanbul, this gets to the point that, from the very earliest days of the Biden administration, we have recognized &#8230; that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, and only through a political settlement and a comprehensive ceasefire will we be able to support a resolution that brings a security, stability, and prosperity to the people of Afghanistan,\u201d Price said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writers Tameem Akhgar in Kabul, Afghanistan; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Matthew Lee in Washington, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this story.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Taliban dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":61194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,93,12,25,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2180],"class_list":["post-29793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"WOJ3OY2DXND4PP6JEIVBU776YE","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Taliban dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Taliban dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-21T19:37:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:08:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-04-21T19:37:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:08:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 893,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-04-21T19:37:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:08:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The Taliban dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/21\\\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"flashpoints\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk - Marine Corps Times","description":"The Taliban dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk","og_description":"The Taliban dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2021-04-21T19:37:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T06:08:39+00:00","author":"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk","datePublished":"2021-04-21T19:37:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:08:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/"},"wordCount":893,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/","name":"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-04-21T19:37:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:08:39+00:00","description":"The Taliban dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flashpoints","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/","ad_zone":"flashpoints"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"US-backed peace conference for Afghanistan\u2019s warring sides postponed as Taliban balk"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21111224283063.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29793"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85288,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29793\/revisions\/85288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29793"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=29793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}