Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has admitted his government has been in talks with the Taliban for “quite some time” on an informal basis. Karzai emphasized the insurgent group was not contacted on an official basis, but “as countryman to countryman.” Karzai’s spokesman said this was not the first time the Afghan leader had acknowledged the talks, saying sometimes they were initiated by the government, other times by the militant group. Gen. David Petraeus said the military has long been aware of such contacts at high levels within the war-torn country’s government. The goal was to create a more formal “peace council.” Meanwhile, in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban ambushed a supply convoy Monday, while in the south the group fought with the Afghan military.