Afghan Taliban delegation in Turkey for high-level talks

By SUZAN FRASER and KATHY GANNON
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s foreign minister has met with a high-level delegation from Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers. The meeting on Thursday in Ankara is the first between the Taliban and senior Turkish government officials after the insurgent group seized control of Afghanistan in August. A Taliban spokesman said the delegation is led by the Taliban’s acting foreign minister. Turkey’s president has advocated keeping the channels of dialogue open with the Taliban to “patiently and gradually steer” them toward establishing a more inclusive government. The visit to Ankara comes after Taliban leaders held a series of meetings with U.S. and EU officials in Qatar earlier this week.