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Petraeus: NATO Facilitated Safe Passage of Taliban

VOA News 15 October 2010

The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan says NATO has facilitated the safe passage of Taliban leaders to Kabul for talks with the Afghan government.

U.S. General David Petraeus told reporters in London Friday the move was part of the alliance's support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's reconciliation efforts with the militant group.

Not easy

Petraeus said it would not be "the easiest of tasks" for a senior Taliban commander to travel to the Afghan capital unless the alliance permitted it. He did not go into further detail.

The NATO commander added that "several very senior" Taliban leaders had reached out to the Afghan government and other countries engaged in Afghanistan, but that discussions were "preliminary."

On Thursday, U.S. and NATO leaders said they were supportive of reconciliation efforts with the Taliban. Pakistan also says it is ready to facilitate talks between the insurgent group and the Afghan government.

Afghan initiative

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters Friday the peace effort should be mostly an Afghan initiative but that Pakistan is there to help.

In another development, two NATO service members died Friday following separate attacks in Afghanistan.

A roadside bombing killed a coalition soldier in the south Friday. NATO did not give details. And the French president's office says a French soldier died Friday from wounds sustained during a clash in eastern Afghanistan the day before.

Eight NATO troops were killed in separate attacks throughout Afghanistan on Friday.

Many casualties

This year has been the deadliest for international forces since the start of the nine-year war. More than 40 soldiers have been killed this month.

In other violence, NATO says a roadside bombing killed several Afghan civilians Friday in the Qalat district of southern Zabul province.

A leading non-governmental organization said Friday insurgent attacks have increased by 59 percent in the third quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2009.

The Afghanistan NGO Safety Office in Kabul also says aid workers should begin to engage the Taliban and not avoid them, as the insurgent group gains influence in parts of the country.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.