MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2021) The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, has arrived in Islamabad to discuss the Afghan peace process with Pakistani officials, Afghan broadcaster Ariana news reported on Monday, citing sources.
The visit comes a day after the Afghan government and the Taliban (designated terrorist and banned in Russia) concluded a two-day negotiation in the Qatari capital of Doha. They failed to agree on a short-term ceasefire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the release of prisoners.
Afghanistan is seeing a spike in violence from the Taliban as foreign troops are gradually being withdrawn from the country. The troop withdrawal was one of the points of agreement that the Taliban and the United States reached in Doha in February of last year.
