U.S. reports progress in Taliban talks

Negotiators for the United States and the Taliban have reached “agreements in principle” for a peace deal that could end 17 years of war in Afghanistan, U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said. He announced the draft agreement Monday following six days of talks last week with the Taliban in Qatar. U.S. conditions for a peace deal included Taliban guarantees that Afghan territory would not be used as a “platform for international terrorist groups or individuals.”

Khalilzad said the deal could lead to a full pullout of U.S. troops in return for a cease-fire and direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. “There is a lot more work to be done before we can say we have succeeded in our efforts, but I believe for the first time I can say that we have made significant progress,” he said. The Taliban have been staging near-daily attacks against Afghan forces and have so far refused to deal directly with the U.S.-supported Afghan government.