US, Taliban to meet in Qatar for 'key milestone' toward ending Afghanistan war
Updated 12 hours ago
By Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Erin McClam, NBC News
U.S. and Taliban representatives will meet soon for the first time to begin what are expected to be long and complex negotiations for a peaceful settlement to the war in Afghanistan, senior Obama administration officials said Tuesday.
The officials told NBC News that the meeting will take place in the next several days in the Qatari capital of Doha. The Taliban will open an office there for the purpose of negotiating directly with the Afghan government, the officials said. A precise date was not announced.
"This is a key milestone on the way to the complete transition of responsibility for security to Afghans by the end of next year," a senior U.S. administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said via conference call after the announcement was made.
However, a senior Taliban official said "formal talks" would not begin immediately and any negotiations would be conditional on the release of Taliban commanders from Guantanamo Bay.
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