WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, will visit Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar from Nov. 8 to 20 to push for peace negotiations with the Afghan Taliban, the State Department said on Thursday.
Khalilzad met Taliban leaders in Qatar last month as part of efforts to find a way to end the 17-year-long war in Afghanistan, according to the Islamist group that was ousted from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001.
The Taliban are fighting the U.S.-backed Kabul government to re-impose strict Islamic law and have stepped up attacks in strategic provinces.
A statement by the U.S. embassy in Kabul about Khalilzad’s diplomatic tour in October did not confirm his meeting with the Taliban.