KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — In a reversal of a longstanding policy, American diplomats held face-to-face talks with Taliban representatives in Qatar a week ago without Afghan government officials present, two senior Taliban officials said on Saturday. A State Department spokeswoman did not respond to questions about whether the talks took place. But the department did not deny that its diplomats had taken part in such talks — a significant shift in American strategy toward the Taliban in Afghanistan. “Any negotiations over the political future of Afghanistan will be between the Taliban and Afghan government,” said the spokeswoman, Stephanie R. Newman. The talks took place in Doha, where the Taliban have long maintained an informal “political office” for the purpose of restarting the long-dormant peace process.

Source: New York Times July 28, 2018 14:01 UTC