U.S. diplomats continue contacts with Taliban in Doha, says State Department

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price holds a press briefing on Afghanistan at the State Department in Washington, U.S., August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/POOL

U.S. negotiators remain engaged with Taliban representatives in Doha, the U.S. State Department said on Monday.

The focus of U.S. diplomacy shifted from supporting peace talks to averting violence when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan, State Department spokesman Ned Price told a briefing.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay and Simon Lewis, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)