Afghan delegation meeting Taliban in Pakistan

Afghan security forces walk past a burning car after a group of insurgents stormed a compound used by Afghanistan's intelligence agency in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 7, 2015. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

KABUL/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A delegation from Afghanistan's president is meeting representatives of the Taliban in the Pakistani capital, officials said, in the first publicly acknowledged talks with the insurgents fighting to topple the government in Kabul.

The tentative step toward full peace negotiations aimed at ending more than 13 years of war is being observed by U.S. and Chinese officials, according to Qazi Khalilullah, a spokesman for Pakistan's foreign ministry.