Pentagon warns Taliban on failure to meet commitments on violence, terrorism

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. soldier keeps watch at an Afghan National Army (ANA) base in Logar province, Afghanistan August 5, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration believes it is hard to see a way forward for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban unless the militant group meets its commitments under a 2020 deal, although Washington remains committed to the effort, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

Killings of civilians in Afghanistan's conflict rose to more than 2,900 last year, the country's human rights commission has said, despite stepped-up diplomacy to end the war including peace talks taking place in Qatar.