Afghan government, Taliban meet in Qatar for peace talks

CGTN

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FILE PHOTO: U.S. Army from NATO and Afghan commando forces are pictures in a checkpoint during a patrol against Islamic State militants in July, 2018. A peace conference between the Afghan government and Taliban that was to be held in Istanbul in April was postponed until the end of Ramadhan. /VCG

The Afghan government and Taliban are meeting in Qatar to discuss peace talks, AFP reports citing official sources.

The meeting comes nearly a month after another scheduled peace conference that was to be held in Istanbul was postponed until the end of Ramadhan.

While announcing the postponement, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the time there was no rush after the decision by the U.S. to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

The Afghan government-Taliban meeting is deemed essential for the Middle Eastern country's future amid escalating violence.

The latest incident of violence came earlier on Friday when a bomb hit a mosque in northern Kabul during Friday prayers, killing 12 worshippers and wounding 15 others.

(With input from agencies)