(VOVworld) - An Afghan delegation has traveled to Islamabad in the latest bid to start peace talks with the Taliban, officials said Tuesday, though there was no confirmation the militants would take part.

Afghan security forces inspect the site of a suicide attack after clashes with Taliban fighters at the gate of an intelligence facility in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. (Photo: AP)

In recent months there have been several informal meetings between the Taliban and Afghan officials from varied political backgrounds at venues outside Afghanistan, but little concrete progress appears to have been made. The Taliban last month took part in informal talks in Norway with an Afghan delegation. The Taliban have laid down hardline preconditions for taking part in full-blown negotiations, stressing the need for the complete departure of foreign troops from Afghan soil.