Taliban says will continue talks with US special envoy for peace efforts in Afghanistan

Taliban leaders and the newly-appointed US special envoy for peace efforts in Afghanistan will continue to hold meetings to discuss ways to end the ongoing war, the Taliban said in a statement on Saturday.

Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born US diplomat, met with Taliban leaders in Qatar on Friday in an effort to find a way to end the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.

"Both sides spoke (about) an end to the occupation and peaceful solution to the Afghan issue ... Both sides agreed to continue meeting in the future," Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban`s spokesman, said in a statement.