Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

US confirms talking to Taliban

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has confirmed that the US is holding "outreach" talks with members of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"There's been outreach on the part of a number of countries, including the United States," Mr Gates told CNN, without naming other countries involved.

See the BBC's report here.

"I would say that these contacts are very preliminary.

"My own view is that real reconciliation talks are not likely to be able to make any substantive headway until at least this winter."

Mr. Gates, who will leave office at the end of the month, said the first step had been to ensure the contacts were genuine and influential Taliban members.

Afghan President Karzai said Saturday that peace talks involving Afghan officials, the US and other "foreign militaries" were taking place and were "going well".

The UK said that with the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, it was time for the Taliban to "positively engage" in the political process, and that it supported Afghan efforts to reintegrate insurgents who were "prepared to renounce violence, cut links with terrorist groups, and accept the constitution".
 

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.