Islam Times - Afghanistan involved in US-Taliban secret talks: Karzai

Islam Times - Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his country has joined negotiations between the US and the Taliban as an initiative calibrated by Washington to end the decade-long war in the Asian country.

"There have been contacts between the US government and the Taliban, there have been contacts between the Afghan government and the Taliban, and there have been some contacts that we have made, all of us together, including the Taliban,” Karazi said.

He made the remarks in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, reiterating that Afghans seek peace.

"People in Afghanistan want peace, including the Taliban. They're also people like we all are. They have families, they have relatives, they have children, they are suffering a tough time," the Journal quoted Karzai as saying in the interview conducted in Kabul.

According to the US-based paper, Karzai declined to specify the location of the talks or go into further details on the issue, noting that it might damage the process.

Karzai’s government had previously been excluded from talks between the Taliban and the United States and protested the move.

Washington and the militant group have secretly held negotiations for over a year.

During their talks, the US reportedly offered the Taliban the opportunity to open an office in Qatar.

In line with Washington’s new policy of negotiating with the militant group, US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman secretly met with Taliban leaders in Qatar late in January.