*KABUL – In a rare diplomatic foray and the strongest sign yet of theTaliban’s increasing political presence in the region, the head of themilitant group’s political office led a delegation to Uzbekistan to meetsenior Foreign Ministry officials, Uzbek and Taliban officials saidSaturday.*

Taliban political chief Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai represented theinsurgents in the four-day talks that ended Friday and included meetingswith Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov as well as its specialrepresentative to Afghanistan Ismatilla Irgashev.

The meetings follow an offer made by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev inMarch to broker peace in Afghanistan.

Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, saidin a statement to The Associated Press that discussions covered everythingfrom international troop withdrawal to peace prospects to possibleUzbek-funded development projects that could include railway lines andelectricity.

Shaheen said Uzbek officials discussed their security concerns surroundingthe development projects.

“Taliban also exchanged views with the Uzbek officials about the withdrawalof the foreign troops and reconciliation in Afghanistan,” he said in thestatement.

Uzbek’s Foreign Affairs Ministry website offered a terse announcement onthe visit saying “the sides exchanged views on prospects of the peaceprocess in Afghanistan. ”

Still, the meetings are significant coming as the Taliban ramps up pressureon Afghanistan’s Security Forces with relentless and deadly attacks andWashington holds preliminary talks with the insurgents in an attempt tofind a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s protracted war.

The Taliban have gained increasing attention from Russia as well asUzbekistan, who view the insurgency as a bulwark against the spread of theIslamic State group in Afghanistan. The United States has accused Moscow ofgiving weapons to the Taliban.

Still, Andrew Wilder, vice president of Asia programs at the U.S. Instituteof Peace said Washington would welcome a “constructive” Russian role infinding a way toward a peace pact in Afghanistan.

“What wouldn’t be helpful would be if the Uzbek efforts to facilitate linesof communication with the Taliban are not closely coordinated with theAfghan government,” he said.

“High profile talks by foreign governments with the Taliban that excludethe Afghan government risk providing too much legitimacy to the Talibanwithout getting much in return,” Wilder said.

There was no immediate comment from the Afghan government, but neither theTaliban nor the Uzbek foreign ministry statement mentioned the Afghangovernment.

For Uzbekistan, the IS presence is particularly worrisome as hundreds ofits fighters are former members of the radical Islamic Movement ofUzbekistan, a declared terrorist group considered the architect of some ofthe more horrific attacks carried out by IS in Afghanistan.

Last year, there were reports that the son of Tahir Yuldashev, the powerfulUzbek leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who was killed in aU.S. missile strike in Pakistan in 2009, was leading efforts to help expandIS influence in Afghanistan.

Last week, Afghan security forces reportedly rescued scores of AfghanUzbeks who had declared their allegiance to IS when they came under attackby Taliban fighters in northern Afghanistan not far from the border withUzbekistan.

The rescued Uzbek warriors declared they would join the peace process. Mostof those rescued were Afghan Uzbeks loyal to Afghanistan’s Vice PresidentRashid Dostum who had gone over to IS after Dostum fell out with AfghanPresident Ashraf Ghani and fled to Turkey in May last year.

Coincidentally their rescue from the Taliban came just days after Dostumreturned to Afghanistan and reconciled with Ghani’s government. – APP/AFP