Melissa chan welcome to news asia thanks for joining us will it be the final stretch of talks between the United States and the taliban this is the 9th time theyve come together to try to hammer out a deal and 18 years of fighting in afghanistan they are doing this without the participation of the actual Afghan Government here are the 4 major issues being looked at the withdrawal of foreign troops mostly americans a ceasefire counterterror guarantees and the promise by the taliban to engage in intra afghan talks before we get into what any of that means heres a quick reminder of the rise fall and a resurgence of the taliban. The taliban a marriage in the early 19 nineties their aim was to turn afghanistan into a theocracy and by foreign influence from the country. In 1906 the taliban seize control of the capital kabul and began enforcing sharia law they forced women to wear burkas clothes girls Schools Television and music or bond. After having been largely ignored by the west for years the country became the center of attention in 2001 in the aftermath of the 911 terror attacks at the time the taliban kept close ties with al qaeda the terrorist network behind the attack the taliban sheltered its mastermind osama bin laden. I gave taliban leaders a series of clear and specific demands close terrorist Training Camps hand over leaders of the Al Qaeda Network and return all foreign nationals including american citizens unjustly detained in your country none of these demands were met and now the taliban will pay a price just weeks after the 911. 00 attacks the United States and its allies invaded afghanistan the us led alliance brought a new president to power and funneled billions of dollars of aid into the country the taliban fighters were forced into hiding but soon after the regrouped in neighboring pakistan and launched an insurgency against the u. S. Backed government and foreign troops. At the height of the Afghanistan Mission in 2010 close 2140000 us a need to uproot her on the ground the insurgency continued and 4 years later most foreign troops had pulled out leaving just 20000 mainly u. S. Soldiers behind left to Train Afghan Forces and for counterterrorism purposes since then the taliban have taken back large parts of afghanistan washingtons priority is no longer to defeat the taliban but to negotiate an end to americas longest war. Joining us is the shams who is in doha where the talks are taking place shama for those who dont follow this closely it seems a little weird that the United States and the taliban are talking about afghanistan and the actual Afghan Government isnt participating whats going on well melissa we have to understand that what is happening even though its strictly between the taliban and the u. S. They are trying to seal a deal it is a deal about the big goal of u. S. Troops to foreign troops but of the understand we have been told here in doha that if and once the u. S. And the taliban hungry on something it would lead to an intro of gone through dialogue which means they have gone government would hold talks with the taliban that are reluctant to have been reluctant to talk to you have gone government president goes on e of of gun astonished and wants to go ahead with the president ial election but im want to make it clear that what is happening and is between the u. S. And the taliban they have gone government is not a part of it and this counterterror guarantee which the taliban would pledge to you if this deal goes through it seems like an arsonist pledging to put out a fire am i missing something here. Well the taliban recently said that. They have kind of agreed with the u. S. That they would not target u. S. Troops in afghanistan under the drawl and the u. S. Will not attack their fighters so that is something still pretty vague i would not say it is like i would not bring the and die that it is in the strategy and do it at the moment taliban and the u. S. Are trying to do to minimize the casualties they dont want to attack each other and god or something which is going to happen and you know its a deal is done does that mean peace in afghanistan well not at all i mean there is there will be a lot of rounds of talks the u. S. And the taliban agree on a deal here there will be in draft gone dialogue and we do not know what the taliban want what theyve gone government wants everything is pretty unclear at the moment but it will be a 1st step the u. S. And the taliban agree here in the something that would lead to further negotiations between the have gone flares and they have to agree on a political set up obviously the u. S. Will be backing all those negotiations but these i would say at the moment it is not peace deal its quite far enough gunness done there will be a lot of work to do from all parties to manage peace in afghanistan shamash chance thank you and very much melissa. So men at tables in doha managing an end to this conflict and ending their women on the ground in afghanistan have much taken a little to no voice its been 18 years since the taliban were in power time that saw some women gaining freedoms not possible under the militants rule professional women are looking at the prospect of peace not with relief but worry. At and t v is a glimpse into another afghanistan a television station by women for women its very existence an act of revolution in a country a marriage in from the shadow of the taliban ever since the Islamic Fundamentalist Group were driven out women have been discovering new freedoms even in the face of threats mustnt go in there that i would not allow the taliban to stop me from learning from working or from having hope for the future of my country we will not allow the taliban to force women again to sit at home as they did during their dark period of power. In the reception to privately colored back because stand as reminders of the dark past. But while women have made leaps in your lack of a voice taliban peace talks good some. You know where has the injuring dominance of the patriarchy been clearer than in high level negotiations about the countrys future of. A cloth so one of the women should have been part of the peace negotiations but there havent been any talks on womens rights as far as i know my turn project in my life i work in the media i appear on t. V. And im concerned for my future because even if peace comes off future might be in danger or track time they want to happen and that. Its a view shared by campaigner fawzia koofi the taliban tried to assassinate her for speaking out for womens right for the rest could not be starker. I think the new generation of afghanistan the transformed your vision of afghanistan will not be able to accept this kind of approach and behavior and therefore i think this is a major issue a major issue or post a major challenge i would say poster taliban integration a Parliament Peace process would be how do we smoothly ensure that these taliban fighters interview the system with respect to the values that people of afghanistan believe in since the war began here in 2001 women have enjoyed equal rights to men in law even if society lags behind unequal c. However is another matter. Now to japan and a look at all traditions from the 11th century almost to last and new lease saved the hard work of hand cutting blocks of ice its production is now used for the popular sweet treat known as category. It could be the work of an oven guard composer but these notes from a conch shell are blown in gratitude they ring out to thank nature for a successful harvest. Not of crops but freezing blocks of natural ice. For decades crafts people in the mountains of nikko north of tokyo have turned spring water into hard highly transparent ice. Like many traditional crafts its a time consuming and labor intensive process the profession had almost disappeared supplanted by machines and refrigeration until it underwent a 21st century reprimanding as the basis of a high end artists and designers. You would cheer oyama most o. Came up with the idea 13 years ago when he took over a traditional ice making business initially sales were slow today there filming. In the 160 tons made this year already have a buyer i even have people making orders but i cant for fill theres a waiting list for. You all the natural isis delivered to hit city stores and the series where its turned into the shaved ice trees known as category promoters of the trend say it has a cotton candy consistency unlike category made with artificial ice. Human being neither each book of ours has its own story kind of like a tree and its growth rings and its harder because of the long freezing process which gives it a different texture when its threaded. Because it becomes in more than 300. 00 watts. Its nelson usual for people to queue for hours to try the delicacy a cogie more initiates tokyo cafe even in the cold winter months the customers are come vince did Something Special and an eco a dying trade has been revived new natural ice producers have even set up shop to satiate the category. With pictures from afghanistan and a nod to the women of the country under taliban rule they were barred from work and could only go out in public with a male relative heres a look at how theyre living their lives today thanks for watching ill see you next time i think that i. Sometimes books more exciting than real lives. To read. Foresters you know. Ritualised. German my street. 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