Extended 'Troika' To Meet In Doha A Day Before Taliban's Deadline For US Afghanistan Exit

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2021) The so-called extended Troika, which includes Russia, China, Pakistan, and the United States, will meet in Doha for talks on the stalled Afghan peace process on Friday, a day before the Taliban's May 1 deadline for US and NATO forces to withdraw from the Islamic country.

The special representatives of the four countries will gather in an attempt to give impetus to the intra-Afghan peace talks and find a solution as the US fails to meet the May 1 deadline, stipulated in the Trump-era deal with the Taliban.

A day before the talks, the White House announced that the country had begun pulling out its troops from Afghanistan.

The US and NATO forces are expected to be out of Afghanistan by September 11. The Taliban have warned that the non-aggression clause against US forces will become null on May 1.

The previous meeting of the extended Troika, which also involved Afghan political forces and the Taliban, was held in Moscow last month. It resulted in the four major foreign stakeholders urging the warring sides to reduce violence and "immediately" engage in discussions on fundamental issues to resolve the conflict.