US, Taliban to hold first talks since Afghanistan withdrawal

By KATHY GANNON and ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials say senior Taliban members and U.S. representatives are to hold talks about containing extremist groups in Afghanistan and easing the evacuation of foreign citizens and Afghans from the country. It’s the first such meeting since U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in late August. That’s when the U.S. ended a 20-year military presence and the Taliban took control of the country. The talks are to take place in Doha, the capital of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. A Taliban spokesman says the talks will also revisit the peace agreement the Taliban signed with Washington in 2020 which paved the way for the final U..S. withdrawal.