The United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad held a roundtable discussion at the US Embassy with Afghan media on Wednesday.

Khalilzad, who is in Kabul on his third multination tour on Afghan peace, said he had met with Afghan officials in Kabul this morning to discuss peace and security, the US Embassy said in a statement. He praised Afghan security forces, saying their role is vital as “we move towards peace”.

A day after the Taliban threatened to pull away from further peace talks with the US, over what the resurgent movement described as “tactical pressure” by Washington, officials in Kabul meanwhile dismissed the group’s new red lines and pressure as a push to score political points in the peace negotiation process.

In a statement released by the group on Tuesday, it said the US had agreed, during a meeting in November in Doha, to bring the issue of US forces withdrawal on the table, but Washington is now trying to sustain its pressure by bringing “new issues” under discussion. The group warned that such an approach could force it to halt all sorts of peace talks with the US.