PESHAWAR (Reuters) - A lead Taliban negotiator on Thursday said no peace talks were planned with Afghan officials for early September, hours after a senior Government official said talks were to begin next month.


Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai's statement to Reuters comes at a time when the two sides are under pressure from the United States and its allies to hold talks, a move that could pave way for the end of about two decades of war in Afghanistan.


A major stumbling block has been the issue of the release of Taliban prisoners.