Afghanistan: Taliban confirms talks with US peace envoy in Qatar

The Trump administration engages with the Taliban as it wants to wind down the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.
A Taliban delegation has met with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict, the armed group said on Saturday, in the first official confirmation of talks between the two sides

The meeting with Khalilzad and other US officials took place on Friday and talks will continue, the Taliban said in a statement emailed to journalists.

The meeting occured as President Donald Trump's administration pushed to find a way to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, the Wall Street Journal previously reported.

The Journal, citing a person familiar with the gathering, said Khalilzad met with Taliban officials in Doha, the second time in four months that US officials have held face-to-face talks with Taliban representatives.

Khalilzad's is currently on his first trip as special representative. The 11-day trip was to take him to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. - Read More

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