The United States and the Taliban have concluded the eighth round of talks aimed at reaching an agreement between the two adversaries to end the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan and jumpstart intra-Afghan peace negotiations.

The nine-day negotiations in the Gulf state of Qatar were wrapped up before dawn on Monday, announced a Taliban spokesman. The talks continued on a day when Muslims around the world began celebrating their three-day annual festival of sacrifice, known as Eid-al-Adha.

“Work was tedious and effective. Both sides agreed to consult their respective leaderships for next steps,” Zabihullah Mujahid said in a brief statement.

He did not explain further nor did the chief American negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, about the outcome of the negotiations with the insurgent group. “We have concluded this round of talks that started August 3….Over the last few days, the two sides focused on technical details. They were productive. I am on my way back to DC to consult on next steps,” Khalilzad tweeted Monday.

Taliban political spokesman, Suhail Shaheen had said before the start of the talks that a deal was expected to follow the eighth round of their year-long dialogue with Americans.

Source : VOA