Khalilzad Visits Pakistan, Updates Officials on Taliban Talks

Islamabad [Pakistan], Dec 14 (Sputnik/ANI): US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad during his visit to Islamabad on Friday briefed Pakistani government officials on the latest developments in the Taliban peace talks, the US Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement."In his meetings with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and other government officials, Ambassador Khalilzad discussed the current status of US-Taliban talks," the statement said Friday.The US envoy highlighted Pakistan's support for intra-Afghan negotiations, the statement said and discussed the economic and security benefits to the region if the peace talks are successful, it added.On Sunday, the Taliban announced that the talks with the US had resumed in Doha after a three-month hiatus. A source close to the Islamist movement told Sputnik that both sides had discussed in Doha the reduction of violence and conditions that could spur intra-Afghan talks to begin.However, on Thursday, Khalilzad announced a "brief pause" in Taliban peace talks following an attack on Bagram airbase that killed two and wounded dozens of civilians. He said the Taliban must show a willingness to respond to Afghan desire for peace.(Sputnik/ANI)

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