The US, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban in 2001, wants to withdraw thousands of troops but only in return for the insurgent group renouncing Al-Qaeda and curbing attacks. (Photo: AFP)

DOHA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Afghanistan's Taliban group resumed their eighth round of talks in the Qatari capital of Doha on Sunday, hoping to halt 18 years of fighting, state-run Qatar News Agency reported.

According to a Taliban source, efforts were under way to organize a direct meeting between the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Mullah Baradar, a co-founder of Taliban.

A day earlier, Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for Taliban's political office in Doha, said on Twitter that an agreement would mean that all foreign forces will leave Afghanistan within a set time frame.

The United States, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban from power in 2001, wants the group to guarantee that Afghanistan will not become a haven for terrorists, while Taliban is seeking assurances from Washington that all foreign forces will withdraw from the country.