KANDAHAR, Sept 10: The Taliban said on Monday they were ready for talks with the Afghan government after President Hamid Karzai offered negotiations in a bid to end the rebels’ nearly six-year bloody insurgency.Mr Karzai made the offer on Sunday.

“For the sake of national interests ... we are fully ready for talks with the government,” Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said.

“Whenever the government formally asks for negotiations, we are ready,” he said.

The movement had a “limited” number of conditions for a meeting, he added. Mr Ahmadi said the Taliban could hold talks with the Afghan government as they had with South Korean officials over 21 hostages.

“As we did hold negotiations with the South Korean government, we can hold talks at an even higher level with the government,” he said by telephone.—AFP