Afghan Taliban deny plans for Saudi peace talks

The Afghan Taliban said on Wednesday that the hardline Islamist movement had no plans to hold preliminary peace talks with Afghanistan's governmemnt in Saudi Arabia.

"We see Saudi Arabia with respect, because it is the centre of Islam. However, as it was reported in media that the representatives of the Islamic Emirate will meet with the Afghan government delegation, that is not true," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement, using the term the insurgency uses to describe itself. (Reuters)