REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ISLAMABAD -- Representatives from Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States and China met in Islamabad on Saturday to continue work on a roadmap for peace talks with Taliban insurgents who have ramped up their violent campaign against the government in Kabul.

The talks are part of the latest effort to find a negotiated end to nearly 15 years of war in Afghanistan, a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and crippled the nation's economy.

The Pakistani prime minister's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz said in opening remarks in the Pakistani capital that he hoped the group would finalise a roadmap on Saturday to outline a way forward for direct dialogue between the Afghan government and Taliban groups.

"We are confident that the process would lead to a significant reduction in violence (in Afghanistan)," Aziz said.