ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani government team held direct talks with the Taliban after traveling Wednesday to a secret location in the country’s northwest, part of a push by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to strike a peace deal to end an insurgency that has killed thousands of people in recent years.

Although previous Pakistani governments have spoken directly with Taliban representatives, these are the first such negotiations since Sharif took office last June. Over the past month or so, intermediaries representing the two sides have met and laid the groundwork for the talks.

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