A Taliban official said the group spoke with the U.S. about peace in Afghanistan.

Insurgent group says deal with Washington critical

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban held their first direct contact with a U.S. official in a preliminary discussion about future peace talks on Afghanistan, a senior official with the insurgent group said Saturday. It marked one of the most significant developments amid efforts to find a negotiated end to the country’s protracted war.

The official described as “useful” a meeting with Alice Wells, the U.S.’s top diplomat for South Asia, earlier this week. He said the meeting was held in the small Middle Eastern country of Qatar, where the Taliban have maintained a political office since 2013.

“The environment was positive and the discussion was useful,” the Taliban official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

U.S. officials neither confirmed nor denied a meeting took place. However, Wells was in Doha, the Qatar capital, this week. In a statement following her return, the State Department said only that Wells had been in Doha, had met with the ruling family and “the United States is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government.”

Any talks about a future political setup would be between the Taliban and the Afghan government, the statement said.

The Taliban have long demanded direct talks with Washington, saying they do not want to talk politics with the U.S. but instead meet face to face to discuss Washington’s concerns — particularly its security concerns — about the Taliban and Taliban involvement in Afghanistan’s future. They also say they want a time frame for the withdrawal of the roughly 15,000 U.S. and NATO troops still in Afghanistan.

It wasn’t clear when the next meeting would be held or with whom, but the Taliban official who spoke to The AP was certain one would be held.

A former Taliban minister and exhead of their political committee, Aga Jan Mohtism, who has maintained close contacts with the insurgent group, also confirmed a meeting in Doha between U.S. officials and the Taliban took place earlier this week.

“The Taliban want to solve their problems with the Americans to end the invasion,” he said.