DOHA - US officials have announced a “brief pause” in talks with the Taliban after the armed group launched a suicide attack on a US base in Afghanistan, killing two civilians.
Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad on Friday expressed “outrage about attack in Bagram” and said the talks in the Qatari capital Doha would resume after the Taliban “consult their leadership on this essential topic”.
“Taliban must show they are willing & [and] able to respond to Afghan desire for peace,” Khalilzad said in a tweet.
Wednesday’s early morning assault, for which the Taliban have claimed responsibility, began when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive-packed vehicle outside a hospital building near Bagram military base in Parwan province, north of the capital Kabul, according to local officials.
Khalilzad had renewed talks with the Taliban earlier this month on steps that could lead to a ceasefire and settlement of the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan, allowing a gradual withdrawal of US troops from the country.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said Friday’s meeting was “very good and friendly”.
“Both sides decided to resume the talks after a few days of break for consultation,” he said.
The assault on Bagram airbase came despite the resumption of talks between the US and the group days before in Doha.
Peace negotiations began earlier this year but were suspended in September after an American soldier was killed in a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban.(ALJAZEERA)