KHAR NIKAH, Afghanistan — Inside a cold room surrounded by sand-filled Hesco barriers in the remote Gereshk Valley, British forces are teaching a group of young Afghan fighters how to protect their village from the Taliban. Read full article > >

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In Helmand, training Afghan Local Police is a challenge

The report summarized the views of Taliban detainees who said that they were benefiting from cooperation with some Afghan officials and Pakistan’s intelligence service.

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NATO Plays Down Report of Collaboration Between Taliban and Pakistan

The Taliban in Afghanistan are being directly assisted by Pakistani security services, according to a secret Nato report seen by the BBC.

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Pakistan security ‘helps Taliban’

President Hamid Karzai is said to fear being sidelined by a United States initiative for peace negotiations with the Taliban and is pushing to open direct talks, Afghan officials said.

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Afghan Officials Consider Separate Talks With Taliban

Former officials said Taliban negotiators traveled to Qatar for discussions with American officials that included a possible prisoner transfer.

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Taliban Have Begun Talks With U.S., Former Taliban Aides Say

KABUL — After years of advocating peace talks as the only way out of the Afghan war, President Hamid Karzai will soon need to decide whether he is willing to participate in an emerging diplomatic process that his top advisers claim has left him marginalized by both the United States and the Taliban. Read full article > >

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Afghan government feels out of the loop on talks

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two attacks in southern Afghanistan have left at least 19 dead over the last two days, Afghan officials reported. The attacks come at a critical moment in peace talks between the United States and the Taliban. Read full article > >

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Bomb attacks kill 19 in southern Afghanistan

A video of four Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters is likely to weaken the United States’ position both with the Taliban and with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.

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U.S. Deplores Video of Marines Urinating on Taliban

This post has been updated. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday strongly condemned the apparent desecration of the corpses of Taliban insurgents by members of a Marine scout sniper team who were videotaped urinating on the bodies. Read full article > >

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Panetta: Apparent Marine desecration of Taliban corpses is ‘utterly deplorable’

Afghan President Hamid Karzai “strongly condemns” a video apparently showing US Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters.

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Karzai condemns ‘urination’ video

The Taliban’s willingness to open a political office in Qatar represents a critical point in the United States’s attempt to negotiate an end to the Afghanistan war.

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Against Odds, Path Opens Up for U.S.-Taliban Talks

The Obama administration will resume peace talks with the Taliban as soon as Afghan President Hamid Karzai formally blesses the negotiations, according to senior administration officials who indicated that the process could be underway within weeks. Read full article > >

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U.S. peace talks with Taliban to resume

For some intrigue at the start of this new year, take a look at the secret diplomacy under way between the United States and the Taliban . Most observers are skeptical the process will produce any breakthroughs, but it’s interesting that the talks are taking place at all. Read full article > >

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The challenge of getting the Taliban to the table

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A bombing Tuesday morning killed 30 people in Pakistan’s volatile northwest border region, and officials said a pro-government militia was the likely target. The blast tore through a bus station in the town of Jamrud in the Khyber tribal area, part of the semi-autonomous border region that is home to the Taliban and other militant factions. The Pakistani army is battling insurgents in Khyber, as are members of the Zakakhel tribe, some of whom were waiting in a passenger pickup area when the bomb detonated. Read full article > >

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Bombing kills 30 in northwest Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A bomb targeting a militia opposed to the Pakistani Taliban exploded in a market close to the Afghan border Tuesday, killing 25 people in the deadliest blast in the country in several months, officials said. The explosion, likely detonated by remote control, hit vehicles being used by the militia in the Khyber region, said local security officer Khan Dad Khan. It also wounded 24 people, said local government official Iqbal Khan. Read full article > >

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Bomb targeting anti-Taliban militia kills 25 people in northwestern Pakistan