Taliban announce surprise talks with US in Pakistan
The Qatar talks will also include a collection of prominent Afghan figures, many of whom attended a similar gathering in the Russian capital earlier this month.
In a statement issued Wednesday there was no immediate explanation for the previously unscheduled talks but Pakistan has been under considerable pressure to use its influence over the Taliban to press the insurgents into direct talks with Afghanistan's government.
Until now, the Taliban has refused to talk directly to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government but pressure is mounting to bring them into an expanding circle of participants.
AP