Afghan government, Taliban officials hold new talks in Qatar

Published October 19, 2016

Taliban officials and the Afghan government have held new secret talks in Qatar aimed at restarting peace negotiations to end the country's war, three officials say, though questions remain over which faction of the insurgency is doing the talking.

The Guardian newspaper of Britain first reported on the talks Tuesday, saying the first happened in September and second this month in Qatar. The Arabian Peninsula country hosts a Taliban political office.

A senior Pakistani intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to release the information, said he was aware of recent meetings in Doha between "mid-level Taliban and Afghan officials." He said a U.S. official also attended the meetings, though he did not know specifics of what was discussed as Pakistan did not take part.

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