Washington, Jan 28 (AFP) Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Monday said peace talks between the US and the Taliban were "encouraging."

"I'd say really the takeaway right now: it's encouraging," Shanahan told Pentagon reporters as he waited to greet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Shanahan's remarks came after US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was quoted Monday as saying the US and the Taliban have drafted the framework of a deal which could pave the way for peace talks with Kabul.

Khalilzad has been leading a months-long diplomatic push to convince the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government, but the militants have steadfastly refused, dismissing authorities in Kabul as "puppets".

US officials have said President Donald Trump wants to withdraw about half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan.

Shanahan did not provide details about potential US troop withdrawals. In response to a reporter's question, he said he had not been tasked to prepare for a "full" withdrawal.

Stoltenberg later said it was too early to speak about the future disposition of NATO forces in Afghanistan. (AFP) SCY

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)