Afghanistan’s Taliban may send delegation for peace talks with US – sources

The Taliban is preparing to send a delegation for further talks with US officials about ending the conflict in Afghanistan, Reuters reported, citing officials involved with the process in Pakistan. They said on Tuesday that Taliban leaders were meeting to discuss the makeup of the three- or four-person delegation and the subjects to be discussed. The Taliban would like to discuss an exchange of prisoners and could hold another meeting soon if the United States showed seriousness in talks by releasing prisoners, according to the report. If confirmed, the meeting would follow an earlier round of talks in Doha in July. Taliban officials reportedly met Alice Wells there, the principal deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia at the US State Department. The Taliban delegation at the planned meeting would be led by the head of the group’s Qatar-based political office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanakzai, the officials said.