Officials announced on Sunday that Kabul plans to hold direct talks with the Taliban by the end of this month.
Ahmad Shakib Mostaghani, spokeman for the Foreign Ministry, informed reporters that Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States had come to an agreement on preliminary steps toward peace negotiations at a meeting in Islamabad the day before. He added that the government aspires to "put an end to the futile violence which is imposed on our people."
The last direct talks between the Taliban and Kabul collapsed during its first session last summer when the government publicised the death of the Taliban's reclusive, longtime leader Mullah Mohammad Omar two years ago.
The upcoming four-way talks is scheduled for Feb. 23 in Kabul. The Taliban will not be participating in the meeting, which aims to set out the groundwork for peace talks.
Pakistan has long been accused of granting the insurgents safe haven across the porous border by the Afghan government, charges denied by Islamabad. However Pakistan is considered to have influence over the Taliban and is believed to be a key player in any peace negotiations.
At the Saturday meeting, the four states called for direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government to be held, despite an escalation in the conflict since the rolling back of the international combat mission in 2014.
Afghan forces have struggled to fight off the Taliban, who have spread their footprint across the country, leading to high casualties among Afghan forces and fear among the population that the insurgency is gaining strength.
