The US envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, met in Qatar for talks with a delegation of the radical Islamic Taliban. Khalilzad had traveled to Doha for two-day talks, the State Department said in Washington yesterday.
The State Department thus confirmed information from the Taliban, who had announced a new round of negotiations with the US on Monday. The US envoy had met with Taliban officials several times without Washington officially confirming it.
Khalilzad set out on a new peace initiative in Afghanistan less than two weeks ago to call for an end to the 17-year conflict in the country. His journey also took him to China, India and Pakistan. The US wants to persuade the Taliban to engage in direct peace talks with the government in Kabul. The Islamists reject this
