Update of US in peace talks with Taliban

The US is engaged in talks with Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said, in the first high level confirmation of US involvement. Mr Karzai said that foreign military and especially the US itself were involved in peace talks with the group.

Hours later, suicide bombers attacked a Kabul police station, killing nine. Earlier this month, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said there could be political talks with the Taliban by the end of this year. It aims to gradually hand over all security operations to Afghan security forces by 2014.

Summer of fighting

In the course of this year, there have been peace talks with the Taliban and our own countrymen, Mr Karzai told a Kabul news conference on Saturday.

Sanctions list spilt

The Taliban’s official position regarding peace talks is that it will only negotiate once international forces leave Afghanistan, and that it will only talk to the Afghan government.

Diplomats have previously spoken of preliminary talks being held by both sides in the continuing conflict.

A US state department spokesman in Washington said she had ‘no comment’ on Mr Karzai’s statement, but added the US had consistently supported an Afghan led process of reconciliation.

Strategic Partnership

Afghanistan’s neighbors are nervous about plants for a strategic partnership with the United States, which may include long term base on Afghan soil, Karzai also warned.

The issue of strategic partnership deal with U.S. has caused tensions with neighbors. Karzai said, ‘When we sign this strategic partnership, at the same time we must have peace in Afghanistan’.

President Barack Obama is expected to announce next month how many troops he plans to withdraw from Afghanistan as part of a commitment to being reducing the U.S. military presence from July and hand over to Afghan security forces by 2014