Taliban, US to Meet for Peace talks
Taliban representatives and U.S. officials will reportedly sit down to two days of peace talks on Wednesday in Qatar.
Taliban representatives and U.S. officials will reportedly sit down to two days of peace talks on Wednesday in Qatar.
The comes as the Afghan government officials will not be involved, senior Taliban members told Reuters.
The talks will be the fourth in a series between Taliban leaders and U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
“After mutual consultations, we are going to meet U.S. officials in Doha on Wednesday. The meeting will continue for two days – Wednesday and Thursday,” said a senior member of the Afghan Taliban on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Afghan national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib had said in an interview that “there will be no peace without Intra-Afghan dialogues”.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took part in the last round of talks in December.
“This time we want to hold talks with the American officials,” said a Taliban leader based in Afghanistan, adding that they would discuss a U.S. withdrawal, prisoner exchange and the lifting of a ban on movement of their leaders.
