KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai says that he sees a role for the Taliban after the war in a future, peaceful Afghanistan.
Karzai also says five Taliban leaders freed from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in 2014, in exchange for American army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, are "good individuals, good Afghans" who should participate in negotiations to end the 17-year war.
Karzai, who still wields considerable influence in today's Afghanistan, also supports talks between the Taliban and the United States — but only as a step toward direct talks between the insurgents and Afghans "from all walks of life."
Karzai spoke to The Associated Press Thursday. He says he knows some of the five freed Taliban personally. The five are now part of the Taliban political office in Qatar.
