The wife of a Pakistani politician killed in a Taliban suicide attack during campaigning won her husband's provincial seat in by-elections as the ruling party of new Prime Minister Imran Khan retained its slim majority in parliament.

Taliban militants killed at least 22 security forces, including a district police chief, in separate attacks on security checkpoints in two Afghan provinces, officials said on Sunday, ahead of parliamentary elections set for this week.

Taliban leaders will continue to have discussions with the newly appointed U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, the group said on Saturday, a move that could accelerate diplomatic engagement between the warring sides.

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration held their second direct talks with the Afghan Taliban in Qatar this week as the US State Department underlined the desire to push forward the Afghan peace process. Zalmay Khalilzad, a top American diplomat appointed recently to find a way to end the Afghan war, led the US team at the talks with six Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, on Friday. Mr Khalilzad left Washington earlier this week on a mission to promote the Afghan peace process. Diplomatic sources in Washington said the talks in Doha were a part of his itinerary, which included visits to South Asia and the Middle East. He has already visited Islamabad, Kabul and Riyadh....

Taliban leaders will continue to meet for discussions with the newly appointed U.S. special envoy for peace efforts in Afghanistan, the Taliban said on Saturday, a move that could accelerate diplomatic engagement between the warring sides.

Last week, Taliban insurgents issued a statement condemning the elections and warning candidates and Afghan Security Forces that they would be targets if they participate.

Taliban leaders and the newly-appointed U.S. special envoy for peace efforts in Afghanistan will continue to hold meetings to discuss ways to end the ongoing war, the Taliban said in a statement on Saturday.

Washington’s newly named point man for Afghan peacemaking met Taliban representatives as the Trump administration steps up efforts to cobble together a road map for talks aimed at ending the 17-year war.

The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan peace efforts met with Taliban representatives in Qatar on Friday as President Donald Trump's administration pushed to find a way to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, the Wall Street Journal reported.