Afghanistan government, Taliban resume fresh round of talks in Doha

Amid the Taliban's growing offensive in Afghanistan, the delegations of the Afghan government and the Taliban began a fresh round of talks on Saturday in Qatar.

Addressing a conference in the Qatari capital of Doha, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah said to achieve peace, there is a need for flexibility from both sides.

"Afghans want the continuation of the world's support to the peace process... Afghanistan still needs reconstruction and it needs 'constructive' ties with the region and the world," Abdullah said, as quoted by TOLOnews.

Speaking at the same conference, the Taliban's deputy leader Abdul Ghani Baradar said that despite a lack of progress in intra-Afghan negotiations, there is a need to keep the hope and that they will make efforts to make the talks a success.

Baradar said that to ensure Afghanistan's prosperity, there is a need for a central and independent Islamic system. To achieve this, he added, "we should ignore our personal interests."

According to Sputnik, the two sides are set to discuss the creation of a transitional government, the exchange of prisoners and a ceasefire during the negotiations in Doha.

Earlier this week, local reports had suggested that that Kabul would send a high-ranking delegation. The delegation includes former President Hamid Karzai and head of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, to Qatar's Doha.

In recent weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a spike in violence. Taliban have stepped up offensive since the foreign forces began to withdraw from the country in May. The US AND NATO forces will complete military drawdown till the end of August.