Afghan President Says Parliament Will Open

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan's president says he will honor a deal not to further delay the inauguration of the country's new parliament, in an attempt to end a standoff with incoming lawmakers that has threatened to spark a constitutional crisis.

However, Hamid Karzai said Monday he will not meet the lawmakers' other demand, to dissolve a tribunal investigating allegations of fraud in September's parliamentary election.

It was unclear if the parliamentarians will accept Karzai's decision, under which the new parliament will now convene for the first time on Wednesday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — NATO says its air strikes have killed two key local Taliban leaders in eastern Afghanistan.

The international military alliance says in a statement issued on Monday that its forces killed the Taliban shadow administrator for Nangarhar province's Hisarak district in a strike last Friday. NATO had previously announced the strike but said they were unsure if Maulawi Anwar had been killed.

NATO also says that it killed a Taliban operative in Logar province's Pul-e-Alam district in a strike on Sunday. The coalition says the man, Abdul Bari, helped Taliban leaders get weapons and vehicles.