Kabul sends 250 Afghans, including around 50 women, to talks with Taliban

Kabul has announced a list of 250 people who are headed to Qatar for talks with the Taliban later this week, a gathering known as the intra-Afghan dialogue. The list, which includes around 50 women, was released by the government on Tuesday although the Taliban have refused to talk directly with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government. Representatives of political parties, government officials, opposition figures, former warlords, women's rights activists, clerics, tribal elders and members of the independent High Peace Council were on the government’s list. The Taliban will recognize participants only as “ordinary” Afghans, AP reports. The Qatar gathering could mark a significant step toward finding an end to Afghanistan’s war and US troop withdrawal.