Context
US officials have met a close associate of Taliban chief Mullah Muhammad Omar on at least three occasions in recent times in the first direct peace negotiations, a US newspaper claimed citing officials in the region. The talks have been aided by Qatar and Germany, but US officials were present every time, meeting Tayyab Agha, who is a senior aide to Mullah Omar, according to officials. The State Department and the CIA have been part of the talks, which started before the death on Bin Laden on May 2. Sources say that no Pakistani official was involved in the talks.
