MojNews-Close to striking a deal, The U.S. and Taliban have concluded the latest round of marathon peace talks in Doha, Qatar, Washington&#۳۹;s top envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation said early Sunday.

“We are at the threshold of an agreement that will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together to negotiate an honorable & sustainable peace and a unified, sovereign Afghanistan that does not threaten the United States, its allies, or any other country,” tweeted Zalmay Khalilzad , U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, while leaving for Kabul, the Afghan capital.

Khalilzad, a seasoned, Afghan-born U.S. diplomat, is set to meet and brief Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the developments.

Less than a day before his announcement, a Taliban-claimed suicide attack in Afghanistan&#۳۹;s Kunduz province killed ۱۰ people and injured five others, including the police chief.

It came minutes after officials claimed to have pushed back a Taliban offensive on the strategically important city in the north of the country.