US And Taliban officials talks for peace in Afghanistan

US and Taliban officials on Tuesday has agreed on a "roadmap for peace" in a landmark peace conference that could hasten the end of the 18-year war.

A statement called for an end to civilian casualties and the protection of women's rights within an "Islamic framework".

The non-binding agreement comes as the US and Taliban continue to negotiate an American withdrawal.

The US toppled the Taliban in 2001.

The United States and the Taliban are getting closer to a deal that is expected to be based on a U.S. promise to withdraw troops in exchange for a Taliban promise not to let Afghanistan be used as a base for terrorism, officials say.

The Taliban is refusing to hold direct negotiations with the Afghan government until the US announces a timetable for the withdrawal.

"Afghans meeting with the Taliban was a big success," US lead negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters on Monday.

The so-called roadmap for peace is based on conditions including the repatriation of displaced people and "zero interference" from regional powers. The joint statement stressed that Afghanistan was "suffering daily".

"Afghanistan shall not be the witness of another war in the country and [an] intra-Afghan agreement between different levels of the society is vital and crucial," it said.

According to the UN, more than 45,000 members of the security forces have been killed in the conflict in the past five years. In just the first three months of this year, 581 civilians were killed and nearly 1,200 injured.

The assurances came a day after Taliban fighters detonated a car bomb outside a government security compound the town of Ghazni in central Afghanistan, killing 14 and wounding more than 100, including scores of children in a school.

The two sides promised to guarantee the security of public institutions such as schools, hospitals and markets.

An Afghan government air strike in Baghlan province on Monday is also reported to have killed seven members of a family, sparking protests on a major highway. The government said it was investigating.