US General Miller holds talks with Taliban in Doha

Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General Austin S Miller met with the Taliban leadership in Doha on Friday, said Col Sonny Leggett, spokesman for the US forces in Afghanistan, reported ToloNews on Saturday.

Leggett said the meeting was “part of the military channel established in the (US-Taliban) agreement,” adding that “the meeting was about the need to reduce the violence.”

Taliban also confirmed the meeting. A spokesman of the group in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said in a tweet that the meeting was about the implementation of the US-Taliban deal and the violations that have happened so far.

As part of the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha on Feb 29, the Taliban should not attack US military facilities in Afghanistan. The release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners is also part of the agreement.

Shaheen said attacks that have happened in “non-combat” areas were also discussed in the meeting.

The Afghan government has started the release of Taliban prisoners and has freed 200 of them. But the Taliban on Friday said some “unidentified” prisoners have been released while their team is not in Kabul to monitor the process, as agreed. The group has said that this is a "hurdle" in the way of the peace process.