Sides in Intra-Afghan Talks agree to avoid civilian deaths, call for peace in Afghanistan

Representatives of the Taliban movement and Afghan delegates, attending intra-Afghan peace talks in the Qatari capital city of Doha, agreed that efforts should be made to prevent civilian deaths in the long-running Afghan conflict, according to a statement, adopted at the end of the meeting, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

A two-day meeting, brokered by Germany and Qatar and aimed at ending the 18-year-long conflict in Afghanistan, ended in Doha on Monday.

"The peace conference strongly supports the peace process, a call for achieving peace in Afghanistan and believes in its effectiveness. To protect the population of Afghanistan, the parties to the conflict agreed to release ill prisoners, ensure the protection of all educational institutions, make efforts to reduce civilian casualties to zero," the statement read.

The sides also called for ensuring the rights of women as well as ethnic and religious minorities.

"We urge the international community to respect our values and support us in reaching a peace agreement as well as to provide support in settling the situation after concluding a peace deal," the statement said.

The intra-Afghan talks came amid the seventh round of negotiations between the Taliban and the United States that began in Doha on June 29.