Doha (AFP)

The United States and the Afghan Taliban resumed Thursday negotiations in Qatar, reported an American source, with the aim of reaching a historic agreement that would allow the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan after 18 years of conflict.

This ninth round of talks started a year ago between insurgents and Americans opened around 13:00 GMT, according to the US source close to the negotiations who requested anonymity.

General Scott Miller, commander-in-chief of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was present at the location of the negotiations, an AFP journalist said.

The meeting is held against the background of bloodshed in Afghanistan: two US soldiers were killed on Wednesday, a dozen explosions rocked Monday the city of Jalalabad (east) and the report of a suicide attack claimed by the group Islamic State (IS) against a Saturday wedding in Kabul has risen to 80 dead.

The United States said it was ready Wednesday to conclude the talks.

The hoped-for deal should provide for the withdrawal of more than 13,000 US troops from Afghanistan, with a timetable to the key. This is the main demand of the Taliban, who would in return commit that the territories they control can no longer be used by "terrorist" organizations.

A cease-fire between insurgents and Americans, or at least a "reduction of violence", should also be included in the text, which would be historic 18 years after the United States' invasion of Afghanistan for to drive the Taliban out of power in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Washington hopes to conclude a peace deal with the Taliban by September 1, ahead of the Afghan elections scheduled for the same month and the US presidential election in 2020.

The negotiation process "is going well," Taliban chief negotiator Abbas Stanikzai told AFP on Thursday.

"We've been there for 18 years, that's ridiculous," US President Donald Trump once again pleaded Tuesday.

"We are negotiating with the government and we are negotiating with the Taliban," he added. "We have good discussions and we will see what happens".

Following this new round of negotiations, US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is due to visit Kabul to "encourage" preparations for inter-Afghan negotiations, according to the US State Department.

Some thorny issues remain to be resolved, such as power-sharing with the Taliban, the future of the current administration, and the role of regional powers like India or Pakistan.

© 2019 AFP