Traditional Afghan council will address return of Taliban

KABUL: Looking back to a centuries-old tradition, Afghanistan is preparing a tribal meeting of hundreds of people to tackle a Taliban insurgency that is paralyzing the country. But analysts warn the "jirga" could backfire, with a chance that delegates - likely to include Islamist tribal leaders - will make demands that are unacceptable to the government and its international allies. The gathering in Afghanistan and another due in Pakistan are intended to enlist support in the ethnic Pashtun belt along their border that sees the worst of the violence. The eastern city of Jalalabad will likely be the venue for the Afghan jirga expected in December or January, Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta told