According to Arab and Afghan sources, high level talks have been initiated between the Afghan government of Hamid Karzai and leaders of the Taliban. The talks are centered on finding a negotiated end to the Afghan war.
The secret talks follow on from inconclusive conferences held in Saudi Arabia which finished more than a year ago. The sources indicated that talks are at very preliminary stages, but that the representatives from the Taliban are said to have the authority to speak on behalf of Taliban head Mohammad Omar, who resides in Pakistan.
Omar head the Afghan Taliban organization, the Quetta Shura which operates out of Pakistan, and according to sources, the Taliban are very serious about coming to an agreement. While the official line of the Quetta Shura is that negotiation are useless until foreign troops are gone from Afghanistan, sources say that they are now considering an agreement which would include the planned withdrawal of US and NATO forces, as well as some Taliban figures participating in the Afghan government.
The discussions with the Quetta Shura have not included the Haqqani Network, according to sources. The Haqqani Network is a faction lead separately, which is considered very brutal and has been the target of US drone attacks on the Pakistan-Afghan border.
The US is said to be supporting this round of talks, but has previously resisted negotiation efforts. Sources say the change of heart came as the combat in summer time intensified, despite the US troop surge.
