The US and the Afghan Taliban have made "significant progress" in talks aimed at ending the 17-year-old conflict in Afghanistan, the US envoy has said. In a series of tweets, Zalmay Khalilzad did not give details but said the unprecedented six days of talks in Qatar were "more productive than they have been in the past". He said he was on his way to Kabul to consult Afghan government officials. Earlier, Taliban sources said the two sides had finalised a draft agreement. The deal calls for a withdrawal of foreign forces in return for assurances that al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group will not be allowed to use Afghanistan as a base, the sources said. Mr Khalilzad said talks with the Taliban would continue and that nothing had been finalised. Skip Twitter post by @US4AfghanPeace Report End of Twitter post by @US4AfghanPeace The Taliban has so far refused to hold direct talks with Afghan officials, whom they dismiss as "puppets". They
Immediate past governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, has again shifted base from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA to Accord to actualise his plans for a second term. Vanguard gathered Tuesday in Owerri that Ohakim who failed in his bid to obtain the governorship ticket of APGA now wants to actualise his ambition on the platform of Accord. Ohakim served as governor of Imo State between 2007 and 2011 and lost his second term bid to the incumbent, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. Ohakim was first elected on the platform of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA and in 2009 he defected to his original party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. full article