Afghan President Ashraf Ghani agrees to hold talks with Taliban

“President Ghani agreed to hold the negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar,” Sputnik quoted Al-Qahtani as saying. The envoy made the remarks after a meeting with Chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has agreed to hold a round of negotiations with the Taliban in Qatari capital of Doha, said Qatari Foreign Ministry Special Envoy Mutlaq Al-Qahtani.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani. (Reuters file photo)

“President Ghani agreed to hold the negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar,” Sputnik quoted Al-Qahtani as saying. The envoy made the remarks after a meeting with Chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul.

Abdullah said after the talks with Al-Qahtani that Kabul was appreciating Doha’s efforts aimed at ensuring peace and security in Afghanistan.

On Sunday, the TOLOnews broadcaster reported, citing sources close to the Taliban, that the negotiations between the group and the Afghan government would be held in Doha.

The exact date of the meeting has not yet been revealed, but the government has reportedly agreed to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, as envisioned by the US-Taliban peace deal signed in February.