Support For Afghan-Led Peace Process Important For Enduring Peace: US

The comments comes amid a rapid withdrawal of US troops as America's nearly 20-year military mission in Afghanistan is set to conclude on August 31.

The US has said that regional consensus and support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process is important for an enduring peace, stressing that Afghanistan's neighbours and countries in the region have a real stake in the war-torn nation's future. The comments came on Friday, hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a telephonic conversation with his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, amidst a rapid withdrawal of American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops from Afghanistan. During the call, Blinken underscored the importance of continued bilateral cooperation between the US and Pakistan. The conversation took place in the backdrop of reports that the Taliban has made huge territorial gains in Afghanistan. Taliban terrorists are now thought to control about a third of the war-torn country.