Taliban rejects invitation to participate in jirgas

The requests of the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan for Taliban participation in proposed jirgas, or tribal councils, were denied on Monday, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The jirgas are aimed at ending the violence that has been spreading throughout the region - even crossing the border into Pakistan. A spokesperson for the Taliban has said that his group’s participation will not be forthcoming as long as there are foreign troops in the country – a reference to the over 40,000 American and NATO led soldiers currently patrolling Afghanistan. The leaders of the two countries hoped that progress could be made by bringing more moderate facets of the Taliban to the table.

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