Taliban says near 'final agreement' with U.S. to end Afghan war

The Taliban on Wednesday said it was close to a "final agreement" with U.S. officials on a deal that would see U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan in exchange for a pledge that the country would not become a haven for other Islamist militant groups. Negotiations over how to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan have taken place in Qatar's capital, Doha, where the ninth round of talks began last week.

"We hope to have good news soon for our Muslim, independence-seeking nation," Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha said.

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