U.S. officials are meeting with former members of the Taliban as efforts are ramping up to bring the war in Afghanistan to an end, three Taliban commanders told NBC News.
The talks have happened in Afghanistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the Taliban sources said. One of the sources, a negotiator, said that "never more than five" Americans appeared at the Qatar meetings, NBC reported.
Taliban fighters have been fighting against American-led NATO forces to bring back their version of Islamic law in Afghanistan since the U.S. invaded after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. More than 2,400 Americans have been killed in the fighting, NBC News noted.
One meeting participant said the meetings were "very friendly" with "tea and cookies" being served, NBC reported.
A negotiator said that security was "very tight in and outside" at the meeting. The Taliban delegates are taking care so that intelligence services in Russia, China and Arab countries do not identify them, NBC News reported.
"We don't go to the hotel together. We never go to the meeting place first. Once they (the Americans) reach the meeting place, then we go there one by one. We use the elevator for some of the floors and then take the stairs out of security considerations," the negotiator told NBC News.
A State Department spokesperson did not confirm that any meetings had happened, but expressed that the Donald Trump administration aims to resolve the conflict.
"The United States is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government," the spokesperson said, NBC reported.
The U.S. is open to holding direct talks with the Taliban to encourage negotiations between the militant group and the Afghan government, officials said Tuesday.
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