Eight people were killed and 31 injured Saturday in Kabul when mortars slammed into a residential area. The mortars were blamed on Islamic State militants. The attack came hours before U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held meetings with the Taliban and

Afghanistan’s warring sides have opened much-anticipated negotiations for the first time, bringing together the Taliban and delegates appointed by the Afghan government for historic meetings aimed at ending decades of war.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is warning that much anticipated negotiations between Afghanistan’s warring parties are likely to be “contentious.”

Taliban officials say a senior delegation has returned to Qatar, paving the way for the start of peace talks with the Afghan government that are expected to take place in the tiny Gulf state.

Washington’s envoy to Afghanistan emphasized the economic benefits of the peace deal with the Taliban, forging ahead with an agreement that has run into new political obstacles in the U.S. and the region.

The general overseeing U.S. forces in the greater Middle East says the number of troops in Afghanistan has dropped to 8,600.