Taliban Return to Doha Setting Stage for Afghan Peace Talks
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, according to AP.
The negotiations are the second, critical part to a peace deal the US signed with the Taliban in February in Doha.
Relentless delays over the exchange of prisoners -5,000 held by the Afghan government and 1,000 by the Taliban - have hindered efforts to get intra-Afghan talks started.
In late August, a delegation led by the Taliban's political office head and the chief negotiator of the February deal with the United States, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar went to Pakistan. While little was revealed about the details of his meetings with Pakistani officials, it is believed he was pressed to get started with intra-Afghan talks.
With many of the Taliban leadership council living in Pakistan, Islamabad has been pressed by Washington to use its influence to push negotiations forward. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly said he wants peace talks started and that a military solution for Afghanistan is an impossibility.
Pakistani officials reportedly met a second time with Baradar on Friday before his return to Doha again pressing for a swift start to Afghan peace talks, it is believed.
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