Afghan Taliban representatives and US officials have met in the United Arab Emirates, amid moves towards establishing a basis for talks to end the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE would also take part in the talks, which follow at least two meetings between Taliban officials and US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar.
Mujahid said the meeting could take some time, while senior members of the Taliban in Afghanistan said the talks would continue for three days.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have intensified, although the Taliban have refused to deal directly with the internationally recognised government in Kabul, which it considers an illegitimate foreign-imposed regime.
The Taliban, seeking to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 overthrow, say the presence of international forces in Afghanistan is the main obstacle to peace.
Even as the peace process gathers momentum, fighting has continued with heavy casualties on both sides.
Khalilzad, an Afghan-born former US ambassador to Kabul, was named to oversee Washington's peace efforts earlier this year.
However the US has insisted that any final settlement must be led by Afghans themselves.
"The meetings in Abu Dhabi are a part of efforts by the United States and other international partners to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at ending the conflict in Afghanistan," a spokesman for the US embassy in Kabul said.
Although the Afghan government has not taken part directly in the talks, a team from Kabul met US and Saudi officials in the UAE on Sunday to discuss the process, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib said.
