Taliban 'ready for peace talks'

The Taliban’s political wing is ready to enter peace talks to end the war in Afghanistan, the group said today, but the insurgents will continue their armed struggle in the meantime.

The militant movement’s emailed statement suggested that efforts to bring Afghan factions to the table are gathering momentum, but also highlighted some of the blocks on the way to any settlement – in particular, the Taliban’s insistence that the government of President Hamid Karzai is an illegitimate “stooge” of the West.