Taliban, Afghan govt negotiators hold 'direct talks' amid rise in violence

Afghanistan and the Taliban peace talk negotiators held second direct session on Monday after a span of more than a month amid a rise in violence in the war-torn country.

“This evening, three members of the contact group of the negotiating team of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and three members of the contact group of the negotiating team of the opposing team met,” Taliban spokesperson Dr Muhammad Naeem said in a tweet from his official handle.

The development comes after top US envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad condemned "distressingly high" levels of bloodshed after a car bombing at a police headquarters that killed at least 16 people and wounded scores more.

Khalilzad, who negotiated a withdrawal deal with the Taliban in February, voiced his concerns as spiralling violence across Afghanistan imperils ongoing peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban.

The Taliban spokesperson added that it was emphasised in the meeting to continue intra-Afghan talks to reach an understanding over the contentious issues “as soon as possible”.

The warring sides held their first direct session last month in Doha to work out an agenda and schedule for how to negotiate a peace deal after the United States withdraws its troops.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump had announced in a tweet that he wants all US troops to leave Afghanistan by Christmas, speeding up the timeline for ending America's longest war.

The statement was welcomed by Taliban who termed it a “positive step” for the implementation of the peace agreement between the two sides in Qatar earlier this year.

With input from agencies