Endgame talks: US officials to meet Taliban within days

US official says the move could be the beginning of a very difficult road.

WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday welcomed the Taliban's decision to open an office in Qatar and senior US officials said they hoped to meet with their Afghan foes within days.

"I think the United States will have its first meeting with the Taliban for several years in a couple of days in Doha," a senior US official told reporters, dubbing the move the "beginning of a very difficult road."

In April Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the opening of a Taliban office in Doha could “facilitate the peace process”.

He made the remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera following talks in Doha with the ruler of the energy-rich Gulf state of Qatar.

The Afghan president previously opposed a Taliban office in Qatar over fears that his government would be frozen out of any future peace deal involving the extremists and the United States.