US confirms Qatar talks with Taliban

WASHINGTON - The United States confirmed on Tuesday that its envoy is meeting in Qatar with the Taliban, seeking to negotiate an end to the conflict despite a recent major attack.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative on Afghan reconciliation, met on Tuesday in the Qatari capital Doha with Taliban representatives, the US State Department said.

"We can confirm that Special Representative Khalilzad and an interagency team are in Doha today talking with representatives of the Taliban," a US State Department spokeswoman said, adding that the talks were taking place over two days.