{"id":29747,"date":"2019-07-07T20:19:08","date_gmt":"2019-07-07T20:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:42:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:42:32","slug":"us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KABUL, Afghanistan \u2014 The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report \u201csubstantive\u201d progress on all<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/01\/30\/us-reports-agreements-in-principle-with-taliban\/\" target=_blank> four issues key to a peace agreement<\/a> in the country\u2019s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the \u201cmost productive\u201d so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zalmay Khalilzad said talks with the Taliban had been exclusively about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/05\/05\/taliban-say-gap-narrowing-in-talks-with-us-over-afghanistan-troop-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_blank\">troop withdrawal and anti-terrorism guarantees<\/a>. But on Saturday, he said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/06\/30\/afghan-taliban-say-latest-peace-talks-with-us-are-critical\/\" target=\"_blank\">the discussions have broadened<\/a> to include a timeline for both intra-Afghan negotiations as well as a cease-fire. He declined to give details, however. The talks were to resume Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khalilzad said it will ultimately be up to Afghans to decide among themselves the agenda for negotiations as well as the terms of a cease-fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/05\/01\/us-watchdog-afghans-may-not-be-ready-for-day-after-peace\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"191\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19120389202826.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US watchdog: Afghans may not be ready for \u2018day after\u2019 peace<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Afghanistan may not be ready for peace unless it formulates a strategy for re-integration of Taliban fighters into society, combating corruption and reining in the country\u2019s runaway narcotics problem, a U.S. watchdog said Wednesday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So far, the Taliban have refused to talk directly with the current Afghan government, considering it a U.S. puppet. The insurgents, however, have consistently said they will sit down with any Afghan, even a government official, but as an ordinary citizen and not as a government representative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/05\/01\/classified-or-nonexistent-tracking-taliban-control-goes-dark-as-focus-shifts-to-getting-out\/\" target=\"_blank\">Taliban currently control nearly half of Afghanistan<\/a>, and are more powerful than at any time since the October 2001 U.S.-led invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the coalition invaded to oust the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a press briefing in Doha, where he has been meeting the Taliban, Khalilzad said he hoped that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/03\/all-afghan-peace-summit-set-for-july-but-on-taliban-terms\/\" target=_blank>all-Afghan talks that begin Sunday<\/a> \u2014 also in Doha \u2014 will be a precursor to negotiations to hammer out the framework for Afghanistan\u2019s post-war future \u2014 what he called the \u201cactual give and take about the future of the country, the political roadmap that will take place during negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said Washington\u2019s \u201caspiration\u201d is to have that framework in place by Sept. 1 and ahead of the Afghan presidential election scheduled for Sept. 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khalilzad refused to be drawn into specifics but said an agreement on the framework for Afghanistan\u2019s future would be akin to a blueprint that would lay out issues important to all sides in the conflict, including constitutional revisions, interim government versus elections, the fate of militias, a cease-fire and even whether the country should be named the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Afghanistan\u2019s capital, Kabul, at the end of last month seemed to give fresh impetus to peace efforts and Sept. 1 emerged as a target date for a peace deal to end America\u2019s longest running military engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/11\/01\/this-is-not-going-to-be-won-militarily-top-us-commander-in-afghanistan-reveals-pessimism\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18245290979076.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018This is not going to be won militarily\u2019: Top US commander in Afghanistan reveals pessimism<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S.-backed Afghan government&#039;s control over territory is slipping, according to a new report.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khalilzad\u2019s appointment last September began the accelerated effort to find a negotiated end to Afghanistan\u2019s war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, Khalilzad has held scores of talks with the Afghan government in Kabul and abroad, with the Taliban as well as with Afghanistan\u2019s neighbors \u2014 including Pakistan, which has been accused of aiding the insurgents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khalilzad said the atmosphere during recent talks was the best yet, with both sides finding shared humor as opposed to previous talks which had on occasion ended in acrimony, shouting and the occasional walk out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several prominent Afghan figures left Kabul for Doha on Saturday ahead of much-anticipated all-Afghan talks to begin Sunday. Those discussions are co-sponsored by Germany and Qatar, and include the Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An April round of intra-Afghan talks were scuttled after the two sides could not agree on participants. The Afghan government had submitted a list of 250 people. The Taliban likened it to a wedding party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This time the Taliban say 60 people will participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/05\/17\/not-duffel-blog-pentagon-wants-to-reimburse-taliban-for-travel-to-peace-talks-says-report\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/US_Afghanistan_90766-780x520.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Not Duffel Blog: Pentagon wants to reimburse Taliban for travel to peace talks, says report<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Pentagon requested funding to cover the Taliban&#039;s costs for travel expenses to attend peace talks, according to a report. A defense spending bill approved by a House panel on Wednesday barred funds to reimburse the terrorist organization.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Attaullah Rahman Salim, the deputy head of the government\u2019s high peace council, said 64 would be sitting around the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The list includes senior members of the government, former mujahedeen who fought the Soviet in the 1980s as well as former government officials, former ambassadors, civil society representatives and a small number of women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khalilzad said for the first time the Afghan-to-Afghan talks include senior members of President Ashraf Ghani\u2019s government, even if they are there as ordinary Afghans. Khalilzad said the exchange allows both sides to get to know the other, which he hopes will lead to negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants at the table will be there \u201con equal footing\u201d and not as government representatives, according to the German and Qatari sponsors of the talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Afghan President Ghani, who has been conspicuously quiet about the upcoming intra-Afghan dialogue, has consistently demanded the Taliban talk directly with the government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report \u201csubstantive\u201d progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement in the country\u2019s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the \u201cmost productive\u201d so far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":60732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,23,93,12,25,68],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2154],"class_list":["post-29747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"OS2DCBUW3NAKFIZIEAYTRL6XLE","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report \u201csubstantive\u201d progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement in the country\u2019s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the \u201cmost productive\u201d so far.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report \u201csubstantive\u201d progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement in the country\u2019s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the \u201cmost productive\u201d so far.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-07-07T20:19:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:42:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-07T20:19:08+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:42:32+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 755,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever - Army Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-07T20:19:08+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:42:32+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report \u201csubstantive\u201d progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement in the country\u2019s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the \u201cmost productive\u201d so far.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/07\\\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"flashpoints\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Army Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever - Army Times","description":"The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report \u201csubstantive\u201d progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement in the country\u2019s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the \u201cmost productive\u201d so far.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever","og_description":"The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report \u201csubstantive\u201d progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement in the country\u2019s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the \u201cmost productive\u201d so far.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/","og_site_name":"Army Times","article_published_time":"2019-07-07T20:19:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T06:42:32+00:00","author":"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever","datePublished":"2019-07-07T20:19:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:42:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/"},"wordCount":755,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/","name":"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever - Army Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2019-07-07T20:19:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:42:32+00:00","description":"The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that for the first time he can report \u201csubstantive\u201d progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement in the country\u2019s 17-year war, calling the latest round of talks with the Taliban the \u201cmost productive\u201d so far.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/07\/us-envoy-hails-latest-talks-with-taliban-as-the-best-ever\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flashpoints","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/","ad_zone":"flashpoints"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"US envoy hails latest talks with Taliban as the best ever"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","name":"Army Times","description":"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization","name":"Army Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","caption":"Army Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1095685930.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Army Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29747"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96987,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29747\/revisions\/96987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29747"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=29747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}