ISLAMABAD: The United States' negotiator forAfghan peace has arrived in the Pakistani capital on Monday, sources informed Geo News.
Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, reached Islamabad via a special jet from Pakistan's western neighbouring nation to meet with top officials involved in Kabul and the peace process, the sources said.
Sources further revealed that thenegotiator was likely to also have talks with a delegation of the Afghan Taliban in Pakistan's federal capital, where the current Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Shukrullah Atif Mashal, has also arrived from Kabul.
Read more: Khalilzad in Kabul to brief Afghan government
A day prior, Trump’s top negotiator was in Kabul to brief Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the peace efforts during his first trip back since the US president suddenly ended talks with the Taliban aimed at ending America’s longest war.
Khalilzad's visit comes after a flurry of low-key meetings that he has held, including with the Taliban this month, in neighbouring Pakistan. “The aim of his visit is clear, to report to President Ghani on his recent visits and meetings in some countries regarding the Afghan peace process,” an official in Ghani’s office said.
Also read: Trump says Afghanistan peace talks with Taliban are 'dead'
Talks with the Taliban on a plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees were halted by Trump last month following the death of a US soldier and 11 other people in a Taliban bomb attack in Kabul.
Before the US-Taliban talks broke off, both sides said they were close to reaching a deal, despite concerns among some US security officials and Afghan government officials that a US withdrawal could bring more conflict and a resurgence of Daesh factions.
Did you know Khalilzad said US, Taliban were on 'threshold' of deal?
The Taliban have refused to talk to Ghani’s government, denouncing it as a US puppet.
Khalilzad, on the other hand, had been pressing the Taliban to declare a ceasefire with Afghan government forces and make a commitment to power-sharing talks. The Taliban said that would follow a deal on the withdrawal of all foreign forces.
US Afghanistan envoy meets Taliban in Islamabad: report
Progress on Afghan peace talks to be reviewed during Taliban visit: FO