Taleban chiefs 'met Afghan president in secret Kabul talks'

Three Taleban figures met secretly with Afghanistan's president two weeks ago in an effort by the Afghan government to weaken a powerful al-Qaeda linked network that straddles the border region with Pakistan.

A former Afghan official said the meeting in Kabul included an ex-Taleban governor, Maulvi Abdul Kabir. He comes from the same Zadran tribe as the leaders of the Haqqani network, an autonomous wing of the Taleban responsible for many attacks against Nato forces. He served as governor of Nangarhar province and deputy prime minister during the Taleban rule.

Weakening the Haqqanis' grip over the Zadran tribe could help shift the power balance in eastern provinces where the network poses a major threat. The Haqqani network, led by ailing Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin, is believed to be sheltering top al-Qaeda leaders across the border in Pakistan.

The two other Taleban who took part in the talks were Mullah Sadre Azam and Anwar-ul-Haq Mujahed. Mujahed is credited with helping Osama bin Laden escape the assault on Tora Bora in 2001, the former official said. He has been in Pakistani custody since June last year when he was picked up in a raid in Peshawar.

In a related development, Arsala Rahmani, an ex-Taleban who is now on President Hamid Karzai's newly established peace commission, said that the Afghan government has asked Pakistan to repatriate 31 suspected Taleban in its custody.

The most senior Taleban in Pakistan custody, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taleban's No.2, was picked up in a joint raid with the CIA earlier this year. Pakistani authorities have quashed repeated rumours of his release, saying he is still in custody.