Despite 'sick' video Taliban favour peace talks

The Taliban declared that the video, showing US marines urinating on the bodies of three of their dead fighters, will not 'necessarily' hurt peace talks in the country. While they expressed their 'utter disgust' over the footage, a spokesman of the insurgent group said the episode will not derail the planned talks with the US aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the 10-year conflict. The video, which was posted on Youtube and on celebrity gossip site TMZ, showed four marines unzipping their pants and urinating on Taliban fighters’ dead bodies while saying: ‘Have a great day buddy’ and commenting: ‘Golden like a shower.’ “This indicates [America’s] extreme cruelty,” the Taliban’s spokesman said. “Our message is that this was barbaric, and we strongly condemn it.” On Thursday, the day the footage was released, Afghan President Hamid Karzai described the men's actions as "inhuman" and called for an investigation. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta phoned Karzai from Washington to denounce the actions as "deplorable" and to say the episode would be investigated immediately, the Pentagon said. General Martin Dempsey, the top US military officer, described the actions depicted in the video as illegal. A statement issued by Karzai’s office said the president’s administration was “deeply disturbed” by the video. “This act by American soldiers is simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms.” Despite showing signs of collaboration, the Taliban stressed that it would not stop them fighting and that they would not acknowledge either Afghanistan’s constitution or Karzai’s administration.  “We have increased our political effort to come to a mutual understanding with the world in order to solve the current ongoing situation,” the Afghan Taliban said in the statement. “But this understanding does not mean surrender from jihad, and neither is it connected to an acceptance of the constitution of Kabul's stooge administration.”