By Mary
The US reopened its stalled peace talks with the Taliban Saturday — the first direct meeting to end fighting in Afghanistan since President Trump pulled the plug on a secret summit at Camp David in September.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy, met in Qatar with Taliban representatives to secure a pledge to reduce violence as a first step, the State Department said. A permanent cease-fire is the ultimate goal.
The meeting comes a week after Trump proclaimed that “The Taliban wants to make a deal … but we’re saying it has to be a ceasefire” during his surprise Thanksgiving visit with US troops at Bagram Air Base.
Kahlilzad met separately with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Wednesday.
Taliban insurgents have continued regular attacks against the US-supported government in Kabul, and American airstrikes killed 37 Taliban on the eve of the new talks, the US military reported.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to withdraw thousands of American troops from Afghanistan.
