Afghan peace council chairman says peace talks will allow "misery" in Afghanistan to end

DOHA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The head of Afghanistan's peace council, Abdullah Abdullah, said on Saturday that if the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents came together, they could finally strike a peace deal to end decades of conflict.

"I believe that if we give hands to each other and honestly work for peace, the current ongoing misery in the country will end," Abdullah told the opening ceremony of peace talks at a hotel in Doha.

The talks in the Qatari capital are aimed at ending 19 years of war in Afghanistan. (Reporting by Reuters Islamabad, Kabul and Dubai newsrooms; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by William Mallard)