US envoy to resume talks with Taliban on ending Afghan war

KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. envoy negotiating with the Taliban for an end to nearly 18 years of fighting in Afghanistan departed Tuesday for Qatar to resume talks, the State Department said, amid concerns about a growing threat by an Islamic State affiliate.

Zalmay Khalilzad also will visit with the Afghan government, which has been sidelined from the talks, to discuss the “peace process and encourage full preparation for intra-Afghan negotiations,” the U.S. said.

In Washington, President Donald Trump told reporters he believes the Taliban insurgents are eager to stop fighting and that they could “very easily” prevent Afghanistan from being a breeding ground for terrorism. The U.S. will, nonetheless, keep an eye on Taliban influence, he said, even as it thins its troop presence.

The new talks in Qatar, where the insurgent group has a political office, come after a horrific suicide bombing at a wedding in Kabul over the weekend. The blast, claimed by the IS affiliate that has emerged as a brutal threat in recent years, led outraged Afghans to question whether a U.S.Taliban deal would mean peace for long-suffering civilians.

Afghanistan was the world’s deadliest conflict in 2018, and the United Nations has said more civilians died last year than in the past decade. Afghan officials have said Saturday’s bombing killed more than 63. More than 32,000 civilians have been killed in the past 10 years.

Some 14,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, and their withdrawal is a central part of the U.S.-Taliban talks. Hayat Tahrir al-Shaman, an al-Qaida-linked faction — is the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria.

The militant group said in a statement that its fighters carried out “a re-deployment,” withdrawing to south of Khan Sheikhoun and would continue to defend the territory from there. Childress, a well-known NASCAR team owner.

The departure of Childress came after he and then-NRA President Oliver North privately urged the group’s leaders in a letter this year to more carefully review spending decisions under CEO Wayne LaPierre, particularly legal fees totaling tens of millions of dollars.

In his resignation letter Monday, Childress emphasized that he had chosen to leave to focus on his private business.

NARINDER NANU/GETTY-AFP Indian army personnel guide a rubber raft through the flooded streets of Kang Khurd on Tuesday after rescuing stranded residents who became trapped by rising waters triggered by monsoon rains.