US, Afghan Leaders in Talks With Taliban

The U.S. and Afghan governments are in secret, three-day talks with the Taliban, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai confirmed the talks which would be a significant stept toward ending the 10-year-old war, saying he felt the Taliban wanted peace.

'People in Afghanistan want peace, including the Taliban. They're also people like we all are. They have families, they have relatives, they have children, they are suffering a tough time.

"There have been contacts between the U.S. government and the Taliban, there have been contacts between the Afghan government and the Taliban, and there have been some contacts that we have made, all of us together, including the Taliban," Karzai said in an interview in Kabul, the Journal reports.

American emissaries have been meeting off and on with Taliban leaders. Recent talks have focused on opening a Taliban office in Qatar and other measures such as transferring Guantanamo Bay detaines to the Gulf emirate.