Lahore, Jan. 10 : British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has rejected claims that he held secret talks with the Afghan Taliban leadership, saying that the United Kingdom has never negotiated with any militant group.

“(Taliban Supreme Commander) Mullah Omar is a criminal,” the Daily Times quoted Miliband, as saying.

He, however, said, that Afghan officials were making efforts to engage the Taliban in a dialogue.

Replying to a question, Miliband said he had never claimed that Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was in hiding in Pakistan, “but the Al Qaeda leader was also not in Afghanistan”.

He pointed out that there was a lot of difference between the Taliban and the Al Qaeda, as the Taliban had no global agenda. “On the other hand, Al Qaeda was created in the backdrop of the Arab-Israel war,” he added. (ANI)