8216;Infuriated8217; Afghans scuttle US-Taliban talks

A senior US official acknowledged that the talks imploded because of the leak and that Aga,while alive,had disappeared.

The United States will continue to pursue talks,the official said. Current and former US officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks.

The United States acknowledged the talks after Afghan President Hamid Karzai,who apparently fears being sidelined by US-Taliban talks,confirmed published accounts about them in June,but has never publicly detailed the content,format or participants.

The first was held in late 2010 followed by at least two other meetings in early spring of this year,the former US official said. The sessions were held in Germany and Qatar,he said.

A childhood friend of Aga8217;s who spoke to the AP on condition he not be identified because he feared retaliation,said Aga was in Germany. A diplomat in the region said Aga fled to a European country after his contacts with the United States were revealed.