PESHAWAR: Senior commanders in the Pakistani Taliban on Monday claimed to be holding initial peace talks with the government that could end a wave of bombings that has killed thousands of people.
Reports of the contacts emerged on the same day that 16 troops were killed in two separate attacks -- 14 in an ambush blamed on separatist Baloch rebels in the southwest, and two in an attack blamed on the Taliban.
Previous peace deals between Pakistan and militants have rapidly unravelled, and were criticised by the United States and at home for allowing militants space to regroup before launching new waves of attacks.
It is also unclear whether the Taliban are united enough to cement a lasting agreement across disparate parts of the northwest where they hold sway, and whether any deal would allow militants more room to operate in Afghanistan.
"Peace talks are continuing with the government and army. We have had two rounds of such talks," one senior Taliban commander told AFP by telephone, claiming to be on a 10-member negotiating committee.
He said Taliban conditions included troops withdrawing to barracks, the military compensating losses and an exchange of prisoners.
It was unclear whether the talks were connected with a Swiss couple, who were abducted on July 1 and whom the Taliban claim to be holding.
No one from the military or government was available to comment on the purported peace talks.
A second Pakistani Taliban commander confirmed initial contacts with the government, saying that Taliban across the tribal belt had given their consent.
"Peace negotiations have been going on several weeks. Our first condition was to stop military offensives in the tribal areas," the commander said.
But the main spokesman for Pakistan's Taliban faction, Tehreek-e-Taliban, denied any peace talks.
"At the moment, the chapter of peace talks with the government is completely closed," Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.
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