Results of US-Taliban talks in Qatar expected in two weeks

Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he hoped Washington’s envoy Zalmay Khalilzad makes “enough progress” so that he could travel there in “a couple of weeks” to move it further.
The Taliban have said that details of foreign troop withdrawal and the issue of preventing Afghanistan from being used against any other country are discussed in the meeting.
US, however, has said that the talks in Doha focus also on intra-Afghan dialogue and a ceasefire.
“These discussions are ongoing, and what they’re focusing on are the four interconnected issues that are going to compose any future agreement, and those four are counterterrorism, troop withdrawal, intra-Afghan dialogue, and a ceasefire,” Robert Palladino, deputy spokesman for US State Department, told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.
“More work needs to be done. We’re focused on this. We have private diplomatic conversations that are occurring, and we want to give all the parties time to work out these issues,” he said.
He said that the US team was working to promote intra-Afghan talks through a national, unified and inclusive Afghan negotiating team that includes “opposition parties and representatives from civil society, particularly women and youth.”
Earlier, New York Times reported that the US was offering to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within three to five years. The Taliban, however, have rejected the proposal and insist that the withdrawal should happen in less than a year.
Meanwhile, The Independent has reported that British Special Forces will be asked to play a key role in counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan after US withdrawal under military plans being drawn up by the Pentagon.
The paper said there would be US air cover provided for Afghan forces and a smaller US-led force focusing counter-terrorism against Islamic State and al-Qaeda fighters.