Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced that he has personally met with a delegation of rebel militants.
Karzai told parliamentarians in Kabul on January 21 that “recently, we had negotiations with a delegation of Hezb-i-Islami.”
He did not say when the meeting had taken place.
Hezb-i-Islami is an insurgent radical group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is listed as a terrorist by the US government and operates in the northern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.
The announcement of the meeting comes amid growing momentum for peace talks to explore ways to end the Afghan conflict.
Taliban militants agreed earlier this month to open an office for dialogue and talks with the United States in Qatar.
compiled from agency reports
Copyright © 2012, RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Source Article from http://www.rferl.org/content/karzai_meets_with_militants/24458705.html
