The US State Department praised the Doha talks

The US State Department has described the talks with the Taliban and their results as positive, describing them as candid and professional.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said today that the Doha talks with the Taliban were frank and professional, and that the Washington delegation would rule over the group’s actions, not their words.

A State Department spokesman stressed that the talks would not be a prelude to recognizing the Taliban, adding: “We emphasized in the talks that the verdict on the Taliban depends on their behavior.”

However, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban deputy minister of information and culture and the group’s spokesman, also described Doha’s talks with the US delegation as fruitful.

He added that the present delegations saw the Doha talks as an opportunity to reach an understanding and agreed to continue them if necessary in the future.