Afghan peace talks must include Kabul: US official

A senior US diplomat insisted that any Afghanistan peace talks must include the Kabul government, and would not occur directly between the Taliban and Washington.

"Negotiations have to take place between the Afghan government and the Taliban, we are not a substitute for that," Alice Wells, the senior official for the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs, told AFP.

Wells spoke directly with Taliban officials last month in Qatar to try to find a new path toward ending Afghanistan's 17-year conflict, according to several reports that she would not confirm or deny.

"I can't say anything beyond that we are prepared to do what we can to facilitate getting the parties to the table," Wells said.

"But the United States doesn't negotiate with the Taliban over the heads of the Afghan people and government."