The Afghan government said it has held positive talks with Taliban militants in an effort to encourage peace in the face of an increasingly bloody insurgency. Presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada said Tuesday officials were in contact with militants at various levels but gave no other details.
He also said some of Afghanistan's international allies have agreed to remove militants' names from wanted lists if they accepted the Afghan constitution. Taliban members' names appear on blacklists in the United States, some European countries and at the United Nations.
U.S. President Barack Obama has said he would consider holding talks with Taliban militants who are willing to renounce violence and reconcile. The idea is part of his revised strategy to stabilize Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
Taliban and other insurgents have made a comeback in Afghanistan, causing the highest level of violence since a U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban government in 2001.
