Milley Meets with Taliban Representatives as Fragile Negotiations Continue

Milley Meets with Taliban Representatives as Fragile Negotiations Continue

By Brian W. Everstine

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley met with Taliban negotiators on Dec. 15, before moving on to Afghanistan to speak with local leaders regarding the ongoing and fragile peace process aimed at ending the 19-year-old war. The meeting marked the second time Milley met with representatives of the group the U.S. has been fighting with in Afghanistan since 2001. Milley previously met with the group in June, a meeting that was not announced until Dec. 17. Milley met with Taliban representatives for about two hours in Doha, Qatar, before flying to Afghanistan to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and U.S. military leaders, according to The Associated Press.