Hamid Karzai to Attend Talks in Moscow With Taliban Envoys

Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai.

(Photo: PTI) 

The Taliban said they will participate in what they call "intra-Afghan" talks in Moscow among prominent Afghan figures, including former President Hamid Karzai and tribal elders – but no Kabul government officials, according to the Associated Press.

The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has criticised the meeting in the Russian capital, expected on Tuesday, as a gathering of the power-hungry.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy tasked with resolving Afghanistan’s 17-year war, has been pressing for such a dialogue, even as he holds separate negotiations with the Taliban.

The Taliban refuse to talk to Ghani's government, which they denounce as a US puppet.

A statement released on Monday by Afghans attending the Moscow meeting describes it as "the first step toward intra-Afghan dialogue."

The Taliban delegation will be led by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai.