US General meets Taliban in Doha

Gen. Austin S. Miller, Commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, met the Taliban leadership in Doha, said a spokesman.

Kabul, April 11 Gen. Austin S. Miller, Commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, met the Taliban leadership in Doha, said a spokesman.

Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesman for the US forces in Afghanistan, said the meeting on Friday was "part of the military channel established in the (US-Taliban) agreement" which was signed in Doha on February 29, reports TOLO News.

Leggett that "the meeting was about the need to reduce the violence" in the war-torn country.

Taliban also confirmed the meeting.

A spokesman of the group in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said in a tweet that the meeting was about the implementation of the US-Taliban deal and the violations that have happened so far.

As part of the US-Taliban agreement, the Taliban cannot attack US military facilities in Afghanistan.

The release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners is also part of the agreement.

Shaheen said attacks that have happened in "non-combat" areas were also discussed in the meeting.

The Afghan government has started the release of Taliban prisoners and has freed 200 of them.

But the Taliban on Friday said some "unidentified" prisoners have been released while their team was not in Kabul to monitor the process, as agreed.

The group has said that this is a "hurdle" in the way of the peace process.

( With inputs from IANS )