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1 November 2019

U.S. Afghanistan Peace Envoy Takes Efforts to Pakistan

by Kathy Gannon 

A U.S. peace envoy remained in Pakistan on Tuesday as part of efforts to find a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s 18 -year war, even though President Donald Trump has not expressed any interest in resuming talks with the Taliban.

The envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday and was expected to hold talks with the country’s powerful military chief on Tuesday.

Officials in Pakistan, where the Taliban governing council is believed to be headquartered, have been pushing for a resumption of direct U.S.-Taliban talks since they collapsed in early September after Trump halted talks with the Taliban and cancelled what had seemed an imminent deal. Trump’s move followed a series of violent attacks in the Afghan capital that killed several people, including a U.S. soldier.

During their meeting Monday, Khan called on all sides in Afghanistan’s protracted war to “take practical steps for the reduction of violence,” according to a statement…

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