The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Austin Miller, has met with representatives of the Taliban’s political office in Doha to discuss the reduction of violence, officials said.
A spokesman for the U.S. military, Sonny Leggett, said Miller had a meeting with "select Taliban leaders" in which they discussed the "need to reduce the violence."
Leggett said the meeting late on April 10 was "part of the military channel" established in a February deal between the United States and the Taliban. He did not provide further details.
Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban office in Doha, said on April 11 that the group had asked the U.S. military not to attack noncombat areas.
The Taliban published video footage claiming to show a house bombarded by U.S. forces in Badakhshan Province on April 10. Its authenticity could not be independently verified.
The claim comes as the militant group has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Afghanistan in the past two days.
Three civilians were killed and two others were wounded in the Spin Boldak district of the southern province of Kandahar late on April 10. The provincial governor’s spokesman, Bashir Ahmadi, blamed the attack on the Taliban, which has a strong presence in the area.
Taliban militants also attacked the Khawja Omari district of southeastern Ghazni Province on April 10, according to provincial council members.
Officials in the western province of Herat said Taliban militants kidnapped and shot dead five employees of a local state-owned bank late on April 9.
The continuing violence casts doubt on the future of internal peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban aimed at ending the conflict in Afghanistan.
U.S. General Meets With Afghan Taliban Officials To Discuss 'Need To Reduce Violence'
Related
Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
After Key Report On Afghanistan, State Department Says Taliban Was Keeping Aid
2Four Years On, UN Says Taliban Close To 'Erasing' Afghan Women From Public Life
3Bad Move: Taliban's Chess Ban Adds To Crackdown On Sports And Pastimes
4UK Data Leak Spurs Costly Afghan Resettlement And Security Fears
5Kabul's Quiet Resistance: Young Afghans Navigate Life Under The Taliban
6Taliban Restrictions Blamed For Surge In Suicides Among Afghans
7Afghan Expert Says Sudden Cutoff In US Aid Has Hit The Vulnerable Hard
8An Afghan Singer, Once Propelled To Fame On TV Show, Goes Missing In Kabul
9Barred From Studying, Afghan Woman Uses Tech Skills To Keep Power Running
10Pakistan Arrests 11 After Viral Video of Alleged ‘Honor’ Killing
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
