A senior Taliban official ruled out direct talks with the US-backed central government in Kabul, saying no intra-Afghan political negotiations are possible as long as foreign soldiers are present in the country.
Talks will only begin after the withdrawal of the US-led NATO mission is announced, said the spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen.
The Taliban have held seven rounds of direct talks with US officials in the Qatari capital Doha since October, but refuse to do the same with the government in Kabul, which they consider illegitimate.
