MONITORING (SW) – For the very first time, one of the founding leaders of the Taliban, Mullah Beradar, met the U.S. delegation for peace talks in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.
"Appreciate Qatar for hosting & Pakistan in facilitating travel. Now the work begins in earnest," U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said in a Twitter post and added he is meeting with a more authoritative Taliban delegation which could be a significant moment.
"Just finished a working lunch with Mullah Baradar and his team. First time we've met. Now moving on to talks," Khalilzad added.
The formal talks between U.S. and Taliban begin on Tuesday, where Khalilzad will lead the U.S. team.
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