Afghanistan, Taliban to hold two days of talks in Qatar capital Doha

Representatives of the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban will holding two days of talks in the coming week in Qatar to look for ways to end the ongoing war between them.

According to reports, a 20-member Afghan Government delegation has been deputed for the proposed talks with Taliban representatives.

The Qatar Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday it was hosting the reconciliation talks with the hope of delivering security, peace and stability to Afghans. A Taliban statement said eight people would attend the talks in Doha on their behalf, but cautioned that the discussions should not be misconstrued as peace or negotiation talks.

Afghan presidential spokesman Ajmal Abidy said members of the High Peace Council would attend the talks in Doha in their personal capacity only. Both sides sought to downplay expectation from the talks, as previous efforts to open a dialogue with the Taliban have collapsed.