Taliban, Afghan officials in ceasefire talks: US general

Senior Taliban officials have been secretly negotiating with Afghan officials on a possible ceasefire, the Pentagon has said, even as US forces killed over 50 Taliban leaders in a series of strikes.

"A lot of the diplomatic activity and dialogue is occurring off the stage, and it's occurring at multiple levels," General John Nicholson said in a teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon.

He would not identify the figures involved in the negotiations, except to say that they included mid- and senior-level Taliban officials.

"I should point out they met in secret. This is how they were able to advance the talks," he said, adding that the success of the effort depends in part on the "confidentiality of the process."