Afghan President Ghani cites ‘notable progress’ in US-Taliban talks

The US and the Taliban appeared closer on Wednesday to a breakthrough in talks over an American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, after the country’s President Ashraf Ghani said there had been “notable progress” in negotiations.

In a series of tweets late on Tuesday, Ghani said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called him to inform him of developments in the talks in Doha, Qatar. Pompeo spoke of “the notable progress made in the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban,” Ghani tweeted.

“The Secretary informed me about the Taliban’s proposal with regards to bringing a significant and enduring reduction in violence,” the president added.

A Taliban source in Pakistan told AFP that insurgent and US negotiators would meet again on Wednesday in Doha. The New York Times reported, citing Afghan and US officials, that US President Donald Trump had given conditional approval to a deal with the Taliban.