Afghan spy agency confirms IS commander killed in drone strike

However, he stated that these talks did not mean the end of Taliban fighting.

Hazara protesters last month accused the government of failing to come to the aid of 30 Hazara police massacred by Taliban fighters in Jalrez district, west of Kabul.

Afghan and Western officials did not identify the Taliban representatives who attended the meeting on Tuesday.

Noting the importance of acknowledging the talks as the beginning of what could be a long and challenging process, Haysom expressed his appreciation to the parties for taking this significant first step and to the Government of Pakistan for hosting the meeting.

Appearing in a press conference in Kabul, the Afghan government’s peace envoys acknowledged that they for the first time met with the Taliban representatives in a formal meeting.

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry was the facilitator during the talks, which were held in a cordial atmosphere, he said.

The recent development of Shahid’s death could be a serious setback for newly recruited IS militants in Afghanistan.

Pakistani security officials said the country’s powerful army chief, Raheel Sharif, is closely monitoring the proceedings.

Ghani’s all-out effort to court Pakistani officials and get them involved in talks has cost him substantial political capital at home, where Pakistan is widely viewed with suspicion.

The Taliban have warned Islamic State to stay out of Afghanistan.

“Daesh has no strong base in Afghanistan at the moment, but a split in Taliban in case of forced talks may provide that to the terrorist network”, Yusufzai said. “Therefore peace talks must be done with the ISI, as the major conflict maker in Afghanistan in the last years”, he said.

RSF also added that Taliban and other armed groups are unfortunately not the only ones who target the media but the warlords, local politicians and government forces also help to create a climate of fear created to keep journalists at a distance, especially during military operations. It was unclear how the restructuring related to the talks in Pakistan.

The presence of Islamic State complicates talks of peace as an increasing number of Taliban fighters are jumping ship to join the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.