Peace talk between Afgan Taliban and USA : Pakistan plays host

The next round of peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the United States will be held in Pakistan as part of efforts to seek a political settlement of the 17-year Afghan war, the Pakistan's information minister confirmed on Thursday. Fawad Chaudhry give no further details.

A Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had said on Wednesday that the insurgents' negotiators would meet their U.S. counterparts on Feb. 18 in Pakistan's capital Islamabad. The talks would come a week ahead of previously scheduled negotiations between the two sides in Qatar on Feb. 25. Mujahid said in a statement that the Qatar talks would still take place as scheduled.

Both the Islamist movement and the United States hailed progress after the end of the last round of negotiations in Qatar last month. (Writing by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Alison Williams)