U.S., Afghanistan reaffirm commitment to Taliban talks despite Kabul attack

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. and Afghan presidents have "reaffirmed" their support for holding talks with the Taliban, despite an attack in central Kabul on Tuesday, June 25, according to BBC News.

Barack Obama and Hamid Karzai agreed in a video conference that a peace process was the surest way to end the violence, the White House said. They also reiterated their backing for a Taliban office in Doha.

Three security guards and four militants died in the assault on the presidential palace and a CIA station. The attackers used at least two vehicles similar to those used by international forces, along with fake badges and vehicle passes, which allowed them to get inside the capital's high security zone, police said.

Karzai was inside the palace at the time, but the target appears to have been the nearby Ariana Hotel, which houses the CIA station.

The incident came just days after representatives of the Taliban opened an office in Qatar's capital, ostensibly for starting negotiations about a peace process. The U.S. also announced it would begin formal talks to be followed by the direct Afghan talks.

Karzai objected to the office, saying the Taliban flag and sign saying "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" which were initially erected there showed the Taliban were trying to portray themselves as a government-in-exile.

He warned that the High Peace Council, which he has empowered to negotiate for his government, would not take part in any peace talks unless the process was "Afghan-led".

The president relented after receiving reassurances from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who also persuaded the Qatari government to get the Taliban to take down the flag and sign.