Representatives of Kabul govt, Taliban hold talks in Doha as Afghan fighting rages

Representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents held talks in Doha as violence raged in their country with foreign forces almost entirely withdrawn, AFP reported.

The two sides have been meeting on and off for months in the Qatari capital, but the talks have lost momentum as the insurgents made battlefield gains.

Several high-ranking officials, including head of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, gathered in a luxury hotel after morning prayers for a session that ran for several hours.

They were joined by negotiators from the Taliban’s political office in Doha, AFP reported.

Talks were due to resume on Sunday, Najia Anwari, spokeswoman for the Afghan government negotiating team in Doha, told AFP.

US special envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad was present as the two sides began to meet.

The sides met behind closed doors after a brief interaction with the media, AFP reported.

The Taliban have capitalized on the last stages of the withdrawal of US and other foreign troops from Afghanistan to launch a series of lightning offensives across the country.

Taliban spokesman Mohammed Naeem told the Al Jazeera broadcaster ahead of Saturday’s talks that the “priority is to solve the problems through dialogue.”