Afghan Jirga Discusses Peacemaking With Taliban

Last Updated: June 03, 2010 08:26 GMT

An Afghan police commando surveyed the scene after two Taliban militants were killed in a gun battle near the Afghan national peace jirga in Kabul.

Some 1,600 Afghan tribal elders are meeting for a second day in Kabul to discuss whether to make peace with Taliban leaders and, if so, which ones.

Delegates have broken into 28 groups for two sessions of talks, each aiming to come up with ideas on how President Hamid Karzai's government should pursue peace with the Taliban.

The second day of the gathering, a Consultative Peace Jirga, is being held after three Taliban fighters, dressed in women's burqas, on June 2 slipped past security lines and interrupted the opening day with a rocket and gunfire attack not far from where the meeting is being held.

No delegates were reported hurt.

The Taliban, which have rejected the jirga as a U.S.-backed stunt, are not attending the three-day event.

On the first day of the jirga, Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the Taliban to stop fighting and help rebuild Afghanistan.

compiled from agency reports