U.S. Says It’s at ‘Threshold’ of Taliban Deal Amid New Attack

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. said it’s at the “threshold” of a deal with the Taliban after the latest round of talks ended, even amid reports that the group attacked another Afghan city on Sunday.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said he’ll be traveling to Kabul for consultations after discussions with the Taliban concluded in Qatar. The withdrawal of American and NATO forces was the most contentious point in the negotiations in the ninth round of talks.

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“We are at the threshold of an agreement that will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together to negotiate an honorable & sustainable peace and a unified, sovereign Afghanistan that does not threaten the United States, its allies, or any other country,” he said on his official Twitter account.

The Taliban attacked the capital of Baghlan province on Sunday, after a separate offensive in Kunduz on Saturday killed at least 16 people, the Associated Press reported.

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