U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Taliban may be willing to hold talks with the United Nations on minimizing civilian casualties in Afghanistan, AP reported. Ban cited two statements from the Taliban prompted by a recent U.N. report on civilian casualties as "perhaps indicating a willingness to engage." "I encourage a meaningful dialogue to reduce this intolerable, continuing death toll and to protect civilians," Ban told the Security Council on Tuesday. U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq said Ban was referring to engagement with the U.N., not the Afghan government. A recent U.N. report said the Taliban and other insurgents were responsible for 81 percent of the civilian deaths and injuries last year - which the Taliban denied. Ban spoke before the council approved a one-year extension of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.
