US And Taliban Delegations Meet In Islamabad

US and Taliban delegations met in Islamabad for the first time after the US President called of previous rounds of negotiations amid the suicide attack that killed a US soldier. According to Reuters, the Taliban delegation in Pakistan met the US delegation on Thursday in Islamabad. Two Pakistani officials told Reuters on the condition of anonymity that the two sides met in Pakistan and the meeting continued for more than an hour. So far, neither side has officially confirmed that the two sides have met in Islamabad. The officials said that Pakistan played a huge role in bringing the two sides to the table again. The sources said that the meeting was not a signal for restarting the negotiations but was merely a confidence-building measure. US State Department representative Khalilzad spent several weeks in Islamabad, meeting different Pakistani officials for consultation. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson did not confirm or deny the meeting but said that Taliban delegation was still in Islamabad for the meeting. Another spokesperson for the Taliban had said that the Taliban delegation was in Islamabad to end the 18 years war. The sources also told that the Afghan government was not happy with the negotiations, as both sides had previously shut them out of the negotiations process.