Russia envoy on Afghan peace talks progress

Russia said it's satisfied with the results of Afghanistan peace conference Moscow hosted last week and urged the US to comply with agreements to withdraw its troops from the country by May 1.

Speaking during a news conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said the aim of the talks in Moscow between Afghan government representatives and their Taliban adversaries along with international observers accomplished the aim to give a new impulse to the peace process.

Kabulov also said an expanded trio of observers including Russia, China, US and Pakistan didn't support Taliban's demand to restore the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.

Taliban representatives said during talks they were firm on their demand for an Islamic government, without elaborating on what an Islamic government would look like or whether it would mean a return to their repressive rules that denied girls education and women's rights to work, and imposed harsh punishments.

In previous statements, the Taliban have said their vision of an Islamic government would allow girls to attend school, women to work or be in public life, but in every conversation they emphasized the need to follow Islamic injunctions without specifying what that would mean.

Kabulov also urged Washington to comply with a May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan, under an agreement the Taliban group signed with the Trump administration.

President Joe Biden's administration says it is reviewing the agreement.

Biden said last week that the May 1 deadline "could happen, but it is tough," adding that if the deadline is extended it wouldn't be by "a lot longer."