Taliban hold talks with Afghan leaders for inclusive gov't

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) – In a bid to form an inclusive government, a Taliban delegation on Wednesday held meetings with prominent political figures of Afghanistan, including former President Hamid Karzai.

The Taliban delegation was led by Anas Haqqani, a senior leader of the Haqqani Network, and the former government's main peace envoy, Abdullah Abdullah, was also present in the meeting, sources told Tolo News, an Afghan news website.

On Aug. 15, Karzai had announced the formation of a coordination council along with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a veteran Afghan mujahideen leader and head of the Hezb-e-Islami party, and Abdullah to facilitate a smooth transition of power in the war-torn country.

Taliban overran the Afghan capital Kabul on Aug. 15 after the Western-backed government and resistance from its US- and NATO-trained forces collapsed.

While President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and is now in the UAE; the group has declared that war in Afghanistan is over.