KABUL: Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced that discussions on the formation of a new government with Afghan political leaders were in progress and that a new government will be announced soon. "Our political diplomats met with leaders here in Kabul, their views are significant, discussions are moving, there is hope for an announcement on the government soon, according to report.

Meanwhile, members of the Taliban's political office on Saturday met in Kabul with a number of politicians including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), and discussions focused on the overall political situation including the formation of an inclusive government. Abdullah in a Facebook post confirmed the meeting with the Taliban leaders, saying that discussions were focused on the political process and the formation of an inclusive government. Some Afghan political leaders, meanwhile, criticized the way the talks are taking place, saying that the political process should be inclusive.

 Atta Mohammad Noor, the former governor of Balkh, said that the next government will not be acceptable if it is not inclusive. "The war has not ended, we have a long way to go, we will test them (the Taliban), we will emerge again either to resolve it through an inclusive government or war."

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