KABUL: The Afghan Taliban said on Wednesday they had not been officially contacted by Kabul about the resumption of direct talks aimed at ending their conflict. The comment came a day after the latest round of dialogue in the Afghan capital between officials from Afghanistan, the United States, China and Pakistan. The representatives of the four states called on the militants to return to the negotiating table and said they expect the process to begin by the first week of March. “We are not aware of this, I cannot say anything regarding talks in Islamabad,” said the group’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid in a phone conversation. “We have not received anything officially in this regard, we only heard it from media.” A first round of direct talks with the Taliban took place in Murree last July, but came to a standstill after the Kabul government leaked news of the death of Taliban leader Mullah Omar two years before. The announcement, and the appointment of his successor Mullah Akhtar Mansour, accentuated divisions among the militants.
