US may attend Extended Troika meeting

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United States is expected to attend the Extended Troika meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow this week.

However, the US has not yet publicly confirmed its participation, diplomatic sources in Washington were quoted as saying on Sunday.

The Extended Troika, including Russia, the US, China and Pakistan, is due to meet on Oct. 20 to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan.

The participants would try to work out a common position on the changing situation in Afghanistan, said the Russian president’s special envoy.

State Department’s spokesperson Ned Price has hinted at the Biden administration’s willingness to attend the meeting.

Price told a news conference in Washington: “We do have an alignment of interests with countries like Russia when it comes to Afghanistan.”

Dawn quoted him saying: “And we previously have found the extended Troika format to be useful.”

The US remained “very focused” on the threat from IS-K and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan, the official said.

The last Extended Troika meeting happened in Qatar on August 11 while the two earlier sessions took place on March 18 and April 30.

Pajhwok Monitor/mud