U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, after a visit to Kabul, will travel to Qatar to rejoin talks with Taliban negotiators on steps that could lead to a ceasefire and a settlement to the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. 

Khalilzad arrived in Kabul earlier on Wednesday to follow up on U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Afghanistan last week and to discuss with Afghan officials and others how to convene talks with the Taliban on a political settlement, it said. 

"Ambassador Khalilzad will rejoin talks with the Taliban to discuss steps that could lead to intra-Afghan negotiations and a peaceful settlement of the war, specifically a reduction in violence that leads to a ceasefire," the department said in a statement. 

Trump made a surprise first trip to Afghanistan, where he met U.S. troops for the Thanksgiving holiday. He appeared to expect a change of heart by the Taliban on a ceasefire. 

Trump, who is eager to show achievements as he runs for re-election next year, has also been eager to end the war, often describing the 18-year U.S. intervention as a waste of U.S. blood and treasure. 

The Taliban, Trump said, "wants to do a ceasefire," and that "it will probably work out that way."

But the insurgents later said it was "way too early" to speak of resuming direct talks with Washington. The Taliban has described the Afghan government as illegitimate and steadfastly refused any halt in their grisly campaign of violence, which it sees as leverage.

But even during the stall in talks, Khalilzad has seen signs that the Taliban is ready to cooperate. He recently helped arrange a captive swap in which the Taliban released two academics, from the U.S. and Australia, whom they had held hostage for three years.

And in an indirect dovetailing of interests that was noted favorably by Khalilzad, both U.S. and Afghan forces as well as the Taliban have been battling extremists from ISIL. 

Canceled peace talks after blast

In September, the U.S. and the Taliban had appeared on the verge of signing a deal that would have seen Washington begin pulling thousands of troops out of Afghanistan in return for promises to keep out foreign extremists. 

It was also expected to pave the way towards direct talks between the Taliban and the government in Kabul and, ultimately, a possible peace agreement after more than 18 years of war. 

However, Trump on September 8 said that he canceled peace talks after the insurgent group claimed responsibility for a recent attack in Kabul that killed an American soldier and 11 other people. 

"If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don't have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway," Trump said on Twitter. 

He declared the talks "dead" on September 10. 

A November study by U.S.-based Brown University found that the United States has spent 6.4 trillion U.S. dollars on wars globally since the September 11, 2001, attacks that prompted the Afghanistan intervention. 

(With input from AFP, Reuters) 

(Cover: Afghan security forces gather at a street in Kunduz, Afghanistan, August 31, 2019. /VCG Photos)