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The presence of CIA Deputy Director David Cohen and the Taliban's Wasiq at the meeting on Saturday indicates an emphasis on counterterrorism. The White House last month called cooperation with the Taliban on counterterrorism "a work in progress."

Cohen was accompanied by the State Department's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tom West, who has often led engagement with the Taliban since the US withdrawal last year. [...]

While the Taliban maintains ties with al Qaeda, they are facing an insurgency from the Islamic State offshoot known as ISIS-K. The group has routinely targeted the Hazara ethnic minority in Afghanistan. At least 25 people, primarily young women, were killed in a suicide attack last week at an education center in a predominantly Hazara neighborhood in Kabul. No one immediately claimed responsibility.

"The Taliban are struggling to prevent ISIS-K attacks, making them look feckless, particularly in Kabul," says Beth Sanner, a former Deputy Director of National Intelligence who led Afghanistan analysis at the CIA. Sanner is also a CNN contributor.

"[Cohen] is likely to deliver a firm message that we will conduct more strikes as we did against Zawahiri if we find that al Qaeda members in Afghanistan are supporting operations that threaten the US or its allies," Sanner said. "ISIS-K now poses an internal Afghan threat, to the Taliban and to sectarian stability given ISIS-K's focus on killing Shias, but there is some reasonable concern that ISIS-K could ultimately turn its sights on external plotting if the Taliban is unable to contain them."

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