Qatari FM meets with US, Taliban officials in Doha

<p>By Ahmed Yusuf</p> <p>DOHA (AA) – Qatar’s foreign minister on Thursday met with U.S. and Taliban officials as part of ongoing efforts to achieve a degree of political reconciliation in Afghanistan, according to the Qatari News Agency (QNA).</p> <p>Qatari FM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met in Doha with Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan; Scott Miller, NATO commander in Afghanistan; and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Taliban's political bureau.</p> <p>According to the QNA, the four men reportedly discussed “the Afghan peace process and political talks now underway in Doha”.</p> <p>On Monday, the Qatari capital hosted a fresh round of peace talks between U.S. officials and representatives of the Taliban, which still refuses to talk to the Kabul government.</p> <p>The Taliban insists on the departure of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan, considering this a prerequisite for reaching a final peace deal with the government.</p> <p>Kabul, for its part, insists that any peace plan should be entirely “Afghan-led”.</p>