Ex-Taliban deny reports of Qatar-office

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Ex-Taliban deny reports of Qatar-office

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Abdul Salam Zaeef has said that he is unaware of the Taliban office in Qatar.

15 December,2011 12:17 pm

An ex-Taliban envoy says he has no knowledge of insurgent plans to set up a political office in Qatar even though media reports bill him as a potential chief of a possible Taliban mission in the tiny Gulf state.Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Talibans former ambassador to Pakistan, said Thursday he is unaware of such an office being planned. A top member of the Afghanistan peace council, ex-Taliban official Arsala Rahmani, says he is also unaware that such an office is about to open.Their remarks follow reports in an Indian newspaper, quoting unnamed Indian diplomatic sources, that said work was being finalized on a Taliban office in Qatar that Zaeef may run.Afghanistan recalled its ambassador to Qatar, but it is unclear if it is related to the report. - AP