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Karzai Seeks Talks With Taliban

After bus attack, he offers to give group a spot in government

By Sean McManus, Newser User

Posted Sep 29, 2007 11:09 AM CDT

(Newser) – Hours after a Taliban suicide bomber blew up a bus and killed 30 people in Kabul, Afghan leader Hamid Karzai offered to meet with the group's leaders and give them a position in government, the Associated Press reports. "Why are you destroying the country?" Karzai asked the group's leaders. The attack was the second-deadliest in Kabul since 2001.

Karzai has been attempting to reach out to the Taliban frequently of late. Specifically, he has called for meetings with Mullah Omar, a former prime minister, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a factional warlord leader. “If I find their address, there is no need for them to come to me, I'll personally go there and get in touch with them,” he said.

An Afghan National army soldier stands near a destroyed army bus after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007. A suicide bomber wearing an Afghan army uniform set off a huge explosion... (Associated Press)

Afghan police officers investigate near the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007. A suicide bomber wearing an Afghan army uniform set off a huge explosion early Saturday... (Associated Press)

President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai is introduced before a panel discussion at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) (Associated Press)

Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan addresses the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007. (AP Photo/Ed Betz) (Associated Press)

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Karzai Seeks Talks With Taliban

After bus attack, he offers to give group a spot in government

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