The top US commander in Afghanistan played down a spate of recent Taliban attacks on Wednesday, saying violence levels were still lower than average as some insurgents talked peace - a situation he described as "talking and fighting."

"You see mid-level, senior-level Taliban leaders engaging with Afghans," said Army General John Nicholson, adding that a lot of the diplomatic activity was taking place "off the stage."

In this episode of Mehwar, host Sadaf Amiri discusses the topic with following guests: 

•    Sayed Ehsan Taheri, spokesman for High Peace Council 

•    Aminullah Shariq, political affairs analyst