Official: US envoy meets Afghan leader over US-Taliban talks

An Afghan official says US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has met with President Ashraf Ghani in the capital, Kabul, to brief him on the latest round of talks with the Taliban on ending America's longest war. Ghani spokesman Sediq Sediqqi confirms that the meeting took place Sunday night at the presidential palace shortly after Khalilzad arrived from Qatar, where the ninth round of talks ended without a final deal.

Sediqqi on Monday said the palace soon will release details of the meeting. Khalilzad over the weekend said the US and the militant group are "at the threshold of an agreement" even as the Taliban attacked the capitals of Kunduz and Baghlan provinces in the north. Intra-Afghan talks that include the Afghan government are meant to follow a US-Taliban agreement.