Baku, Dec 1 (IANS): Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday said Kabul is desirous of holding negotiations with Islamabad directly for regional security and peace efforts.

He made the remarks at the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process 7th Ministerial Conference underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, Geo News reported.

President Ghani claimed that Afghanistan had destroyed the hideouts of the Islamic State on its territory and restricted the militants to mountains.

He lauded the US revised policy towards the longstanding Afghan war and said it would help in defeating the Taliban.

Ghani pointed out the work done by Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism and the steps taken towards ensuring the country's development.

Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process is a regional platform for political dialogue and close regional cooperation aimed at promoting stability, peace and prosperity in the Heart of Asia region and for enhancing Afghanistan's connectivity with the entire region.

Participating states include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates besides the United Nations.