Washington, Oct 7 : After the admission by senior US commanders, including US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, that the war on terror in Afghanistan could not be won by military effort alone, the US State Department has reportedly said that it favoured a reconciliation effort that could bring the Taliban back to power in Kabul “but only if it severe ties with Al Qaeda”.

Kabul - The United Nations' top envoy to Afghanistan said on Monday that the country's conflict could not be won "militarily" and said that success is only possible through dialogues and "political means".

"We all know that we cannot win it militarily. It has to be won through political means. That means political engagement," Kai Eide, UN special envoy to Afghanistan, told a press conference in Kabul.

Kabul  - A passenger bus collided with a trailer in northern Afghanistan on Monday morning, leaving 19 dead and 28 others injured, police said.

Children and women were among the victims in the accident that took place in Doshi district of northern Baghlan province, on the Kabul-Mazar-e-Sharif highway, Jawid Basharat, a police spokesman said.

"Both vehicles were in high speed and collided head on," he said, adding that the wounded people were evacuated to Baghlan provincial hospitals for treatment.

President Hamid Karzai was saddened by the incident and instructed the traffic department to improve the road safety by installing more traffic signs in order to avoid such tragedies in future, his office said in a statement.

New York, Oct. 6 : America’s best chance to eliminate Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden came in 2001 itself, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, but this plan was nixed, according to a former officer of the elite Delta Force.

A CBS report says that shortly after 9/11, the Pentagon issued a simple order to a top secret team of American commandos in Afghanistan – “Kill Osama bin Laden”.

The officer in command of that operation, has decided to break his silence after seven years to set the record straight.

Kabul  - The Afghan government began voter registration Monday ahead of a presidential election slated for autumn 2009 despite the country's worsening security situation as it battles a Taliban-led insurgency.

The Independent Election Commission said it started the first phase of the registration process in 15 central and eastern provinces, adding that it would take up to four months to cover the country.