TEMPO.CO, Washington - U.S. President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai agreed to open the possibility of continuing discussions on Taliban peace talks despite the Taliban’s attack on the Afghanistan presidential compound in Shashdarak, Kabul, last Tuesday.
The two leaders held a video conference on Tuesday, hours after the armed Afghan group carried out an attack on the presidential compound and a United States CIA office in Kabul, resulting in at least three deaths.
The two leaders discussed the transition of operational leadership from NATO to Afghan security forces earlier this month, the importance of Afghan-led reconciliation efforts, preparations for Afghanistan's 2014 elections, and the negotiation of a bilateral security agreement.
Obama and Karzai "reaffirmed that an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process is the surest way to end violence and ensure lasting stability in Afghanistan and the region," the White House said.
The audacious attack by Taliban militants on Tuesday cast doubt on the peace talks. They attacked key buildings near Afghanistan's presidential palace in Kabul as well as the U.S. CIA headquarters.
REUTERS | AJ-JAZEERA | RAJU FEBRIAN
