ISLAMABAD – Senior US officials have been in Pakistan and Afghanistanrecently and held talks with major players in both countries in preparationfor direct talks with Taliban, according to The New York Times.

A report in a leading US newspaper says President Donald Trump hasinstructed “top diplomats” to pursue “direct talks” with the Taliban in aneffort to “jump-start” negotiations with the militant group in the hope ofbringing an end to the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

The *New York Times* said Sunday the move represents a “significant shiftin American policy in Afghanistan”.

The move has been confirmed by “several senior American and Afghanofficials,” according to the newspaper.

The report said there is a growing “consensus” among American and Afghanofficials that the only way to “fire up a peace process” and come to anagreement on an exit strategy for the war “is for the United States to takea more direct role in negotiations”.

The Taliban has often insisted that it will only talk with the UnitedStates and its NATO allies about ending the fighting, calling the Afghangovernment a puppet of the West.

The* Times* said no date has been set for the talks and peace efforts couldstill be derailed, but the shift in US strategy exposes the “sense ofurgency” the Trump administration feels “to break the stalemate inAfghanistan”.