US, Taliban resume eighth round of peace talks in Doha

Representatives of the Taliban and the United States officials on Sunday resumed the eighth round of talks in Qatar's capital city of Doha, aimed at ending the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan.

The talks are centered around US' promise to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, in exchange for the guarantee by the former that the Afghan soil, particularly the areas under the Taliban's control, would not become a platform for transnational terrorism.

In addition, efforts are underway to organise a direct meeting between the US envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar, Xinhua news agency quoted Taliban sources as saying.

It may be noted here that the Taliban, so far, have consistently refused to hold direct talks with President Ashraf Ghani's government, denouncing it as a puppet administration. Understandably, once the agreement between the US and the Taliban is inked, it will require the latter to immediately enter into negotiations with Afghan stakeholders.

Suhail Shaheen, the spokesperson for the Taliban's political office in Qatar, had recently told the Voice of America that they are hopeful of reaching an agreement with the United States during the upcoming talks. Shaheen added that the Taliban negotiators have done their part and it is now up to the American side whether they have "made up their mind" and take the next step of winding up the dialogue process.