Sources have confirmed to Afghanistan International that a Taliban delegation travelled to Saudi Arabia for talks with Pakistani officials, but the negotiations ended without any breakthrough.
The delegation included Rahmatullah Najib, the Taliban’s deputy interior minister; Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the foreign ministry spokesperson; and Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban figure. Saudi Arabia had earlier signalled its willingness to mediate between the two sides.
The Taliban have not commented publicly on the Saudi talks.
The discussions followed two failed rounds of talks in Istanbul, which also produced no results. Qatar and Türkiye, acting as mediators, previously hosted three rounds of Taliban–Pakistan negotiations in Doha and Istanbul. The first round in Doha resulted in an agreement on an immediate ceasefire.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had earlier acknowledged that the Istanbul talks had collapsed. In a post on X, he said the negotiations “had no result,” adding that certain elements within Pakistan’s intelligence services and military were obstructing the process and attempting to heighten tensions.
