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Afghan Leaders: US-Taliban Peace Talks Making 'Notable Progress'

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - Leaders in Afghanistan say the United States has
   made "notable progress" in ongoing peace talks with representatives of
   the Taliban that are taking pace in the Gulf state of Qatar.

   President Ashraf Ghani tweeted late Tuesday he had received a call from
   U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, sharing with him the latest
   developments in the turbulent U.S.-Taliban peace process aimed at
   ending the 18-year-old Afghan war.

   "The Secretary informed me about the Taliban's proposal with regards to
   bringing a significant and enduring reduction in violence," said
   President Ghani, without elaborating.

   The nearly 18-months of U.S.-Taliban peace talks lately have bogged
   down over Washington's demands for the insurgent group to significantly
   cut Afghan violence in return for an American troop drawdown in the
   country.

   The Taliban's refusal, however, to go beyond its proposed weeklong
   scaling back of insurgent operations until an agreement is signed with
   the U.S. has in recent days halted progress in the dialogue process.

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