JUDY WOODRUFF: The latest round
of talks between the United
States and the Taliban concluded

yesterday in Qatar.

It is the highest-level
engagement ever between
the adversaries, now
nearing the end of a

second decade of
fighting in Afghanistan.

In a moment, we will hear
the Afghan government's
perspective on the talks.

But, first, videographer
Sebastian Rich recently
sent us exclusive video
of American and Afghan

operations in
Southern Afghanistan.

And Nick Schifrin reports on
how both sides are trying to
use battlefield gains to force

peacemaking concessions.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In the 19th
year of the Afghan war, Taliban
snipers don't miss by very much.

MAN: One of the rounds,
like, hit one, two.

And it just went through.

I was just sitting right here,
and they flew right by my head.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But when these
U.S. Marine advisers come under
fire in Helmand, the response

is organized, mapped out on
an iPad, and aimed on this old
Russian tank by Afghan soldiers.

The Taliban sniper was
hit, and, afterward,
the Afghan commander
provided details to the

U.S. Marine captain.

These days, the Afghan
army does the majority of
the fighting and dying.

Since 2015, the Afghan
government says 28,000 Afghan
soldiers and police have died.

In the same time, the
U.S. says 62 American
service members have died.

The U.S. trains Afghan forces,
provides them logistics and
intelligence, and supports them

with weapons they don't have,
like long-range artillery.

As weapons are fired
outside, inside the
nearby joint operations
command, U.S. Marines track

possible fighters
with drones, or UAVs.

MAN: This is the guy who
had the cross-body weapon.

NICK SCHIFRIN: This rare
footage of aerial surveillance,
where when nearly 40 Marines

and intelligence officers work
with drone, helicopter and
aircraft pilots, was screened

and cleared by the
U.S. Marine unit.

MAN: This guy came out
of the L-shaped building
with a long rifle.

NICK SCHIFRIN: They try and
minimize civilian casualties.

And they look at video
we couldn't film on the
equivalent of a DVR.

MAN: Oh, you can see it.

Yes, you can see the
barrel actually poking
out on his left side.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And
stay in communication
with a drone pilot.

MAN: He has now gone internal
to our L-shaped building.

NICK SCHIFRIN: On this day,
for six hours, they track a man
the Marines say was carrying

a weapon out of a mosque and
likely preparing another attack,
walking into this building.

And after the military says it
checked its intelligence and
acquired legal authorization,

the drone films as jets strike.

After, the camera zooms in
on men trying to escape.

A few seconds later, gunfire
from an aircraft kills them too.

BRIG GEN.

DALE ALFORD, U.S. Marine Corps:
We're looking through a camera
off of a UAV, and it's pretty

up and close personal
when you see those
missiles hit human beings.

NICK SCHIFRIN: This is Brigadier
General Dale Alford's third
deployment to Afghanistan.

He has seen this war transform
from a light U.S. footprint,
to a surge of U.S. forces,

to this deployment,
where his unit has
suffered zero casualties.

BRIG GEN.

DALE ALFORD: Marines aren't
dying, and this - - and that is
the natural evolution of this

war.

But there's still a lot of
Afghan soldiers and policeman
that are dying on a daily basis,

and my job is to try to make
less of that, and the way we
do that is, we take out the

bad guys.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Over the last
year, the Taliban have increased
the number of high-profile

attacks.

A military inspector general
says the Taliban control or
contest nearly half the country,

hoping to obtain
leverage in peace talks.

BRIG GEN.

DALE ALFORD: Our mission is to
help the Afghan army and police
force put military pressure

on the Taliban to bring them
to the table, to come to
some kind of peace agreement.

Every war must end.

NICK SCHIFRIN: This war's end
is being negotiated by Special
Representative for Afghanistan

Zalmay Khalilzad, coordinating
closely with the military.

Yesterday, he concluded the
longest-ever negotiation
round with the Taliban,
including the group's

recently released deputy leader.

Senior U.S. officials tell
"PBS NewsHour" the two sides
began to draft agreements on

the Taliban's preventing
Afghanistan from being used
by international terrorists.

But the Taliban haven't yet
agreed to renounce al-Qaida.

And the talks produced a --
quote -- "sense of convergence"
on U.S. troop withdrawal,

but the U.S. has not yet
committed to a timeline.

Khalilzad is under pressure
to achieve major progress by
this summer's planned election.

He spoke in Washington
in early February:

ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S.
Special Envoy to Afghanistan:
It will be better for
Afghanistan if we could

get a peace agreement
before the election, which
is scheduled in July.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But the two sides
have not agreed on a Taliban
cease-fire or the Taliban's

meeting directly with the Afghan
government, which Khalilzad
called the most important,

and difficult stage.

ZALMAY KHALILZAD: We have
offered to do what we can to be
helpful, if our help is needed.

But it's for the
Afghans to decide.

It's for the Afghans to
have the conversations.

It's for the Afghans to
negotiate with each other.

It is for the Afghans
to accept each other.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But, so far, the
Taliban refuse to accept even
talking directly with the Afghan

government, and the Afghan
government is concerned
about Khalilzad's pace.

On Monday, before the latest
round of talks ended, I spoke
with Nader Nadery, a senior

adviser to President
Ashraf Ghani.

What level of input
has President Ghani
or your government in
general had in Ambassador

Khalilzad's talks
with the Taliban?

NADER NADERY, Senior Adviser
to Afghan President: Our level
of input would -- we would like

to see increased and expanded
the sequence of the different
processes, and also we want

to see that the different
elements, which is
the withdrawal of
the troops, reduction

of the troops, not using
Afghanistan or Taliban,
cutting their ties with
the terrorist groups,

then the negotiation with Afghan
government and cease-fire.

All of these are interlinked
and the Afghan government wants
to see, being at the center

of the table, backed and
helped and facilitated
by the United States.

And I think Ambassador
Khalilzad is walking
toward that direction.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Right now, you're
not at the center of the table.

You're not even at the table.

These talks are between
the United States, as you
said, and the Taliban.

And you said you would
like our input expanded.

I talk to a lot of people
in Kabul who are frustrated
with Ambassador Khalilzad.

Is the government receiving
enough information about what he
is talking to the Taliban about?

NADER NADERY: I wouldn't
point to the person.

The process is designed as
such where the government at
this stage is not at the center

of the table.

And that's what we are working.

Ambassador Khalilzad is
continually brief the president.

We want to see that, not only
briefing, but also much more of
a contribution and discussion

on the substance of the process.

The United States shall and I
think it has the moral authority
and the political ability

to press the Taliban to preserve
the centrality of Afghan
constitution or the space that's

being created.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And do
you believe that the
U.S. is pressing the
Taliban to preserve the

constitution of the Taliban?

NADER NADERY: At this stage, the
United States, it has interests
and it has values, but it

will leave it to Afghan people
to define what they want.

And we, as Afghan people,
we want to keep the
rules of the game in
political power preserved,

and that is through
the constitution and
through preservation and
strengthening to have the

democratic process we have.

If we don't preserve that,
civil war will return back.

Now, we say we will advocate,
we will fight for those values,
including women's participation

and equal right in the public
administration and in society.

NICK SCHIFRIN: President Trump
has explained that he wants
to withdraw from Afghanistan.

Ambassador Khalilzad has talked
about needing to have progress,
major progress by the summer.

Are you worried that U.S., as
you put it, will not stand with
you when it comes to defending

the constitution, in order
to make a deal quickly?

NADER NADERY:
That's a major fear.

And there is a level
of anxiety, when we see
that there is a rush.

We do understand and we
feel the sense of urgency.

We have the sense of urgency,
as the people of Afghanistan.

We want this war to end.

We want the guns to be silent.

But silencing the guns
shall not be in a way
that is temporary silence.

We want it to be carefully done
in a design of an agreement
that will result in a proud

moment both for the United
States and for Afghans that,
when the United States looks

back to see 17 years of blood
and treasure, this is the
peace that we have brought in

that country and in that region.

We're indebted, as a nation,
to the sacrifices the U.S.
people have given to us.

NICK SCHIFRIN: You used the
word anxiety when it comes to
Ambassador Khalilzad's talks.

Has that anxiety increased
since these talks began?

NADER NADERY: There's no anxiety
about the notion of the talk
itself and Zalmay Khalilzad's

discussion and engagement.

We want to see this war end,
the true peace discussion.

But the anxiety is on the
pace of it and the speed of it
that distracts all of us from

focusing on the substance and
content of the peace agreement,
because a speeded process,

a rushed process will change the
rules of the game, will reset
everything, and, therefore,

will be an invitation
for civil war.

That's where people are worried.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Is the Afghan
government concerned that the
U.S. will ask President Ghani to

essentially step down, so
that the U.S. can create an
interim government to allow the

Taliban in as a part
of the peace deal?

NADER NADERY: Ordinary Afghans
across the country want to
see their country political

system through a model
of election continue.

And people need to preserve
and respect that wish.

And that's why the Afghan
government is insisting
on keeping the election
and focus on an election

continued.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Nader Nadery,
senior adviser to President
Ashraf Ghani and chairman of

the equivalent of Afghan's civil
service, thank you very much.

NADER NADERY: Thank
you very much.

Thank you for having me.