U.S. and Taliban negotiators wrapped up their longest round of consecutive peace talks on Tuesday with progress made but no agreement on when foreign troops might withdraw, officials from both sides said, ONA reports citing Reuters.
The 16 days of talks, in which the United States also sought assurances that Taliban will not allow militant groups to use Afghanistan to stage attacks, are expected to resume in late March.
The negotiations in Doha, Qatar included the Taliban’s political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a U.S. team led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
Khalilzad, the Afghan-born U.S diplomat, said the sides made progress on discussions about counter-terrorism assurances and a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The conditions for peace have improved. It’s clear all sides want to end the war. Despite ups and downs, we kept things on track and made real strides,” Khalilzad said on Twitter.
The Taliban have held multiple rounds of peace talks with the American team led by Khalilzad but have so far rejected the offer to discuss the issue with the Afghan government.
“When the agreement in draft about a withdrawal timeline and effective counter-terrorism measures is finalised, the Taliban and other Afghans, including the government, will begin intra-Afghan negotiations on a political settlement and comprehensive ceasefire,” Khalilzad said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement the sides made progress on the issues of withdrawing foreign forces and preventing future attacks on other countries from Afghanistan.
But he stressed that no agreement was reached on a ceasefire or talks with the Afghan government.
The talks were held in a closed-off banquet hall at the five-star Ritz-Carlton seaside hotel on the southern end of Doha.
Khalilzad said he will return to Washington to brief U.S. and international officials.
Talks ended on a day in which Taliban fighters stepped up pressure on the battlefield, killing 20 Afghan soldiers and capturing another 20 in western Afghanistan. In another province, officials said an air strike killed both Taliban and civilians.
About 14,000 U.S. troops are based in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces. Some U.S. forces carry out counter-terrorism operations.
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