Top Taliban leaders, U.S. officials and others are reportedly discussing ending the Afghanistan War.
On Monday, several news outlets reported Taliban representatives said they had preliminary talks to possibly end the 17-year war. The meeting reportedly took place in the United Arab Emirates with Emirati, Pakistani and Saudi Arabian officials also participating. Those countries are believed to have significant influence over the Taliban.
A Taliban spokesman says the group prefers to negotiate directly with the U.S. rather than Afghan officials because it considers the Afghan government illegitimate.
But as of Monday, neither the Trump administration nor the State Department has confirmed or denied the discussions are happening.
According to the Department of Defense, there are about 14,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Afghanistan.
