Afghan ex-Prez Karzai meets Taliban leader

The Taliban is having discussions with Afghan politicians and representatives of the international community about forming an “inclusive government,” Afghanistan’s TOLOnews reported. The Taliban is likely to make the details public soon, the report stated. On Monday, Amir Khan Motaqi, a senior member of the Taliban leadership, in a meeting with Karzai and Abdullah, pledged to establish an inclusive government in the war-torn country.

Gul Rahman Qazi, a close aide to Karzai, said, “The discussion is how can an inclusive government be established that is accepted by all and that will lead society toward prosperity.” Separately, Karzai had announced the formation of a coordination council along with Gulbudeen Hekmatyar and Abdullah Abdullah to look at affairs and ensure the smooth transition of power to the Taliban.

The Haqqani Network is an important faction of the Taliban, which is based on the border with Pakistan, and has been accused over recent years of some of the most deadly terrorist attacks in Afghanistan.