US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalizad met with Taliban officials in Qatar on Friday, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The previous time someone from Washington side met Taliban was when Alice Wells the State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia interacted with Taliban.
However, the US State Department has not confirmed Khalizad’s meeting with Taliban, saying “Special Representative Khalilzad held a number of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan. We can’t confirm specific meetings or the content of diplomatic conversations,” said a State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity.”
