The Taliban’s political chief has met with senior diplomats from countries including Russia, Indonesia and Norway, hours after signing a deal with US aimed at ending the Afghan war.

A former US intelligence officer says the United States is fighting the war in Afghanistan without a clear political agenda to follow in parallel.

An Afghan grand council convened by President Ashraf Ghani ended Friday with a resounding call for peace with the Taliban and a promise from the president to free 175 Taliban prisoners ahead of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month that starts next week.

India on Monday handed over 100 modern and electric wheelchairs to the soldiers of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces who have lost their limbs while serving in armed forces ranks.

The acting minister of defense of Afghanistan Asadullah met with the external affairs minister of India Sushma Swaraj.

The commander of US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan has pronounced the prospects of peace with the Taliban while the Pentagon orders the deployment of fresh heavy-lift aviation forces to the region.

All Afghans including the government want peace, but the Taliban have not nodded to this hankering of the people, said Executive Abdullah Abdullah, stressing that efforts for peace have been sped up.