DOHA: The Afghan Taliban and Washington’s peace envoy are close to reaching an agreement on US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a spokesman for the insurgents said on Tuesday amid a new round of talks with the United States. “If we do not reach a solution in this round of talks, then we will in the next round of talks, but that is our target,” Shaheen told The Associated Press. He said the sides in the talks are for now sticking to the two-point agenda: US withdrawal and no-attacks guarantees. He has also been expected to pressure the Taliban to hold direct talks with the Kabul government. The presence at the Doha talks of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban, is considered significant because of his stature within the movement.

Source: Pakistan Today February 26, 2019 16:12 UTC