Ahead of the 2+2 dialogue, S. Jaishankar and Pompeo held a bilateral meeting and discussed a range of key issues of strategic importance on Monday evening.
The partial truce will mark a historic step in more than 18 years of gruelling conflict in Afghanistan and would pave the way for a deal that could, ultimately, see the war end.
The release of three of the five Indian hostages follows key meetings between US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Islamabad.
Several local and international media outlets had reported that prime minister Khan and the Taliban Political Commission (TPC), led by its head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, discussed the Afghan peace process during a meeting.
Would O’Brien be able to meet the elevated challenges in his new role of guiding US security policies and fine-tuning peace talks with hostile groups like the Taliban or bellicose nations?
US President Donald Trump stunned the world on Saturday when he announced the cancellation of a secret meeting with the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Camp David near Washington.
The USA’s proposed troop withdrawal deal with the Taliban is a recipe for chaos. Instead, there is a need to create a stable environment for the upcoming presidential elections in Afghanistan.
Asserting that Kashmir is "a bilateral issue" between India and Pakistan, Rahmani said her country believes Pakistan's motive and insistence to purposely tie Afghanistan to the Kashmir issue is a deliberate attempt to prolong the violence happening on Afghan soil.
The brother of the Taliban chief was among seven people killed when a powerful bomb ripped through the mosque during Friday prayers in Kuchlak area in Pakistan
The Taliban, however, still refuse to engage with Ashraf Ghani-led Afghanistan Government and have stressed that those who are attending are doing so in their 'personal capacity'
