KABUL — Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive in Afghanistan’s national unity government, said Monday the government will begin peace talks with the Taliban in the ‘‘near future.’’
Abdullah made the statement after President Ashraf Ghani declared over the weekend that peace is closer now than at any time since the war began after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Abdullah, whose post is akin to that of a prime minister, spoke to a meeting of Cabinet members on Monday. An official in Abdullah’s office who was present at the meeting quoted Abdullah as saying that Pakistani officials had told Taliban leaders to begin peace talks with the Afghan government. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a Cabinet meeting.
‘‘Pakistani officials said they have told the Taliban that their only option now is to hold peace talks with the Afghan government, and this is what we have been waiting to hear,’’ the official quoted Abdullah as saying.
Brokering a peace deal with the insurgents is a priority for Ghani, who took office in September.
Since taking office, he has pursued a strategy aimed at forcing the Taliban leadership to accept that their cause — replacing his government with an Islamist emirate — is hopeless. He has sought support of nearby countries believed to protect, fund, and arm the Taliban, including Pakistan.