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“Afghanistan is at an inflection point," Campbell said. “If we do not make deliberate, measured adjustments, 2016 is at risk of being no better and possibly worse than 2015."
No Preconditions

The U.S., China, Pakistan and Afghanistan will look for ways to bring the Taliban back to the negotiating table at their next meeting on Feb. 6 in Islamabad. The Taliban has several demands, including prisoner releases and the removal of key figures from a United Nations list of terrorists. Those have been rejected by the Afghan government.

“Preconditions are not acceptable," Abdullah said. "No country can achieve peace by violating the rights of its citizens. So that’s a non-starter."

Pakistan is key to any agreement because it turns a blind eye to militant groups operating in its territory, Abdullah separately told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday. While the Taliban are "more divided than ever," its leaders “are based in Pakistan and so are some of the outfits," he said.

Pakistan similarly accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants that attack its soldiers, and has vowed to eliminate terrorist groups from its soil. The Congressional Research Service said in a December report that safe havens in Pakistan were one reason that the Taliban insurgency has persisted in keeping Afghanistan unstable.
‘Well-Known Robbers’

One thing that both leaders in Kabul and the Taliban agree on is the need to fight the Islamic State. Abdullah rejected assertions from the Taliban -- and Abdul Zahir Qadir, the deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s parliament -- that intelligence agencies are backing the group.

“If there is one lesson in dealing with these terrorist radical groups, they are against the interest of every state," Abdullah said. “It’s only a matter of time before they turn against those countries which have turned a blind eye toward them."

For its part, the Taliban sees the U.S. as a much bigger threat than the Islamic State. It says the group is mostly comprised of “well-known robbers and kidnappers" who seek to scare people into achieving their goals, according to Taliban spokesman Mujahed.

“Daesh has really no connection with Afghanistan and does not belong to Afghanistan," he said. “If a strong central system and an Islamic administration is built up, the advances of Daesh and their recognition and embracement by our society is really not possible."
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