Mullah Omar welcomes Taliban-Afghanistan peace talks in Eid message

Quelling doubts over the 'legitimacy' of the recently concluded reconciliatory talks between Taliban and Afghanistan's government, the group's leader Mullah Omar has welcomed the move in his first comments on the dialogue.

In his annual Eid message, the reclusive leader supported the dialogue process but without referring directly to the last week's meeting, reported the Dawn.

He said meetings and even peaceful interactions with the enemies was not prohibited in Islam, adding that undertaking armed jihad, political endeavours and peaceful pathways for achieving these sacred goals was a legitimate Islamic principle.

The statement eased concerns that the talks, held in Murree last week, lacked the backing of the Taliban's leadership.

It was the first face-to-face meeting between the Afghan regime and the militant group and was aimed at ending the bloody insurgency.

The talks ended with a decision to meet again in the coming weeks and drew international praise.