Eight round of US-Taliban talks begins in Doha

Senior US diplomats start a fresh round of US-Taliban peace talks in Qatar’s capital Doha on Saturday, describing it to be the “most crucial” phase of negotiations to end insurgency in Afghanistan, said officials.

“Just got to Doha to resume talks with the Taliban,” tweeted Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative on Afghan reconciliation. “We are pursuing a peace agreement not a withdrawal agreement; a peace agreement that enables withdrawal.”