New Delhi/Kabul - Afghanistan's government denied speculation about secret talks between the government and Taliban militants in Mecca at the occasion of the end of the hoy Muslim month of Ramadan.

British and Afghan media reported that Saudi King Abdullah invited the conflict parties to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan in late September.

Another rumoured participant was former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said to be well-connected to the Saudi rules and the Taliban, whom he helped to establish during his time in office with the aid of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

Kabul, Oct. 8 : Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai''s elder brother, Qayum Karzai, is said to have had talks with former Taleban leaders during a traditional religious meal hosted by the Saudi King Abdullah last month.

According to the BBC, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and a delegation of at least 15 Afghans also participated in the talks.

Kabul- Afghan and international forces killed more than 60 Taliban militants in southern and western Afghanistan, while coalition forces and Afghan spy agents arrested four militants including a rebel commander, officials said Tuesday.

The combined forces were patrolling in Qalat district of the southern province of Zabul on Sunday when it took rebel fire from heavy weapons, assault rifles and snipers, the military said in a statement.

Kabul- Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed 43 suspected Taliban militants in a clash in southern Afghanistan, the military said on Tuesday.

The combined forces were patrolling in Qalat district of the southern province of Zabul on Sunday when it took rebel fire from heavy weapons, assault rifles and snipers, the military said in a statement.

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.