Karzai Confirms U.S., Taliban Talks

Boston Globe reports

KABUL — President Hamid Karzai acknowledged yesterday that the US and Afghan governments have held talks with Taliban emissaries in a bid to end the nation’s nearly 10-year war, even as suicide attackers launched a bold assault in the heart of the county’s capital, killing nine people.

The attack, which occurred blocks from Karzai’s office, shows the parties have a long way to go to reach a political settlement as the Obama administration weighs a major withdrawal of its forces. The White House neither directly confirmed nor denied Karzai’s statement.

Three men wearing camouflage fatigues that are frequently worn by Afghan soldiers stormed a police station near the presidential palace, with one of them detonating an explosives vest just outside the gates as two others rushed inside and began firing, an Interior Ministry statement said.

The crackle of gunfire echoed through the usually bustling streets for about two hours before security forces killed the two remaining attackers. Insurgents killed three police officers, one intelligence agent, and five civilians in the attack, according to the ministry statement.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to the Associated Press.

Attacks in the Afghan capital have been relatively rare, although violence has increased since the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden in a US raid in Pakistan and the start of the Taliban’s annual spring offensive.

The last major attack in Kabul took place when a suicide bomber wearing an Afghan police uniform infiltrated the main Afghan military hospital in late May, killing six medical students. A month before that, a suicide attacker in an army uniform sneaked past security at the Afghan Defense Ministry, killing three. Kabul is one of seven areas scheduled to begin to be handed over to Afghan security control in July — part of NATO’s efforts to begin transferring security responsibilities ahead of its planned 2014 withdrawal from the country.

The assault occurred shortly after Karzai announced during a speech to youth at the presidential palace that members of his peace council and the United States have begun preliminary peace negotiations with the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan for five years and sheltered Al Qaeda before being driven out of power in the US-led invasion in late 2001.

Reports about such talks have surfaced in recent months, but Karzai’s statement was the first public confirmation of US participation. Publicly, the Taliban say there will be no negotiations until foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

“In the course of this year, there have been peace talks with the Taliban and our own countrymen,’’ Karzai said. “Peace talks have started with them already and it is going well. Foreign militaries, especially the United States of America, are going ahead with these negotiations.’’