Taliban says progress made at Afghan talks in Moscow but no breakthrough

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C-right) and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai (C-left) posing for a family photo together with the participants of a conference marking a century of diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Russia. Senior Taliban officials including the group's top political advisor met with Afghan political figures in Moscow today, saying they were committed to peace in Afghanistan. (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP)

• Chief Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund, met politicians, including senior regional leaders
• "There had been no breakthrough and that further talks would be needed" said a Taliban official.

MOSCOW: Decent progress had been made at talks with a group of senior Afghan politicians in Moscow but that there had been no breakthrough and that further talks would be needed a Taliban official said on Thursday, Russian news agencies reported.
The delegation, led by chief Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund, met politicians, including senior regional leaders and candidates challenging President Ashraf Ghani in this year’s presidential election amid gathering diplomatic efforts to end the 18-year war.