United States hails peace talks with Taliban

KABUL: The U.S. peace envoy leading talks with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan said on Saturday the latest discussions were the "most productive session" to date.

Zalmay Khalilzad said substantive progress had been made on all four parts of a peace deal: counter-terrorism assurances, troop withdrawal, participation in Intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations, and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.

The warring sides will resume meeting from Tuesday in Qatar after the conclusion of Intra-Afghan talks.