WASHINGTON - The peace talks is a moment of opportunity for the Taliban, the US said Thursday.

“Without being able to predict the future, it (peace talks) is clearly a moment of opportunity and we would encourage Taliban to use this time of opportunity to make genuine peace with the Afghan government and to rebuild their lives in peace in Afghanistan,” the State Department Spokesperson, Mark Toner, told reporters at his daily news conference.     

They could accept the government of Afghanistan’s invitation to join a peace process and ultimately become part of the legitimate political system of a sovereign, united Afghanistan supported by the international community, or they could choose to continue fighting Afghans and destabilizing their own country, he said

Responding to a question, Toner said that the peace talks “couldn’t be a more clear moment” of opportunity for them to really embrace this reconciliation process.

The US, he said, is aware that the presence of ISIL-affiliated militants in Afghanistan. “We are monitoring that very closely, whether their emergence will have any kind of meaningful or significant impact on the threat environment in the region,” he said. (Pajhwok)