Russia, US & China to press Taliban to hold talks with Afghan politicians, civilians

Russia, the United States and China will this week try to press Taliban insurgents to hold talks with Afghan politicians and civilians. Representatives of the three countries will meet in Moscow on Thursday hoping to accelerate the pace of talks with the Taliban. The US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, who has held several rounds of direct talks with Taliban officials in Qatar, will attend the meeting in Moscow, Reuters reports. The Taliban have long refused to talk to the US-backed Afghan government, denouncing it as a foreign “puppet.” The movement also announced the launch of their annual spring offensive this month.