Afghan peace: US special envoy arrives in Islamabad

Islamabad, Dec 4 (IANS) US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad arrived here on Tuesday for meetings with Pakistan's political and military leadership about bringing the Afghan Taliban to peace talks.

Khalilzad's visit came after US President Donald Trump wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan seeking his help in achieving a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war.

"Trump asked Pakistan to play its role in Afghan peace talks aimed at catalyzing an end to the 17-year invasion of Afghanistan by US troops", Pakistan's Foreign Ministry had said in a statement.

In a stepped-up effort to find a peaceful end to the Afghan war, the special envoy will travel to Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar during his 18-day tour till to December 20, Geo News reported.

According to a press release, Khalilzad will also meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other stakeholders to coordinate closely on efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with the Afghan government.

Khalilzad last visited the region in November, where he met with members of the Afghan civil society and other government officials.