President Karzai's appeal for peace also comes two days after a statement attributed to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar appeared on a Taliban Web site.

VOA: standard.2009.11.27

In a May 2011 interview with the Asia Times, Mullah Nazir openly supported Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and the then al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden while rejecting claims that he was opposed to al-Qaeda.

BBC: Obituary: Mullah Nazir

Mullah Mohammad Omar, the leader of the movement, lives in Kandahar, in south Afghanistan, the de facto capital.

ECONOMIST: Afghanistan

Mr Karzai has often said he is willing to sit down with the Taliban's supremo, Mullah Mohammad Omar.

ECONOMIST: Afghanistan