The first peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are due to begin in the Gulf state of Qatar on Saturday, BBC News reported.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the meeting "historic" as he flew to Doha for the opening ceremony.

The talks were due to start after a US-Taliban security deal in February. But disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap stalled the next stage, as did violence in Afghanistan, where four decades of war are at a stalemate.

The head of the Afghan delegation, Abdullah Abdullah, said they were seeking "a just and dignified peace."