US envoy on Afghan peace heads to Doha to conclude talks with Taliban

Washington D.C. [USA], Aug 21 (ANI): US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, on Tuesday (local time) left for the Qatari capital of Doha to resume peace talks with the Taliban aimed at ending the 18-year conflict in the war-torn country.
"Productive week in Washington. Briefed management on where we are and next steps. Back on the road again. First stop Doha where we will try and close on remaining issues. We're ready. Let's see if the Taliban are as well," the envoy tweeted a few hours earlier.
Meanwhile, the US State Department, in a statement, said that Khalilzad will also travel to Kabul to "consult with the leadership of the Afghan government on the peace process and encourage full preparation for intra-Afghan negotiations."
The Taliban has been in talks with Washington for the withdrawal of American and NATO forces from Afghanistan. Unless that happens, the group claims it will not engage in much-sought intra-Afghan negotiations to discuss a permanent cease-fire and issues related to future political governance.
Taliban and the US negotiators in recent days have repeatedly asserted that they are ready to sign a deal. The two sides are said to working out the details, the Voice of America News reported.
Last week, Trump had stated that the plan for troops withdrawal is still in process.
"We're having very good discussions (with the Taliban). We will see what happens. We've really got it down to probably 13,000 people (troops) and we'll be bringing it down a little bit more and then we will decide whether or not we will be staying longer or not," the president was quoted as saying.
The US plans to leave behind a "very significant intelligence" force, Trump stressed, for operations against Islamic State and al-Qaida, maintaining that Afghanistan remains "a breeding ground" for terrorists. (ANI)