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KABUL: The Taliban on Tuesday confirmed they had come to an “initial agreement” to open a political office overseas as part of peace talks with the United States.
In a statement published on their purported website ‘Voice of Jihad’, the Taliban said they had held “preliminary talks with relevant sides, including Qatar” to open an office outside Afghanistan.
“We are right now ready...to have a political office overseas, in order to have an understanding with the international (community), and in this regard we have reached an initial understanding with Qatar and relevant sites,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an emailed statement.
The statement reiterated the stance that all foreign troops must leave Afghanistan to end the war.
The Taliban have also asked for the release of prisoners held by the US at the Guantanamo Bay military prison.
The Taliban office is seen by Western and Afghan officials as key to moving forward with secretive attempts to reach a negotiated end to a decade of war in Afghanistan.
