US and Taliban on 'threshold' of deal, says US Afghan envoy

The US and the Taliban are on the brink of striking a deal after 18 years of war, Washington's top negotiator said Sunday, ahead of a visit to Afghanistan where fresh violence rocked the north. The apparent progress at the latest round of talks to conclude in Doha came even as the Taliban launched a broad offensive on the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, and violence flared in a neighbouring province. "We are at the threshold of an agreement that will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together to negotiate an honourable and sustainable peace," tweeted Washington's special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, who was scheduled to arrive in Kabul on Sunday to discuss developments with Afghan officials.

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