Peshawar, Feb 1 : The Taliban have said they were ready to "negotiate" with the US but not with the Washington-backed Afghan government, which it termed as "is illegal and powerless."

"There is no possibility of sitting on negotiating table with the Karzai-led government. If Taliban Islamic movement holds talks, with the incumbent Afghan government, our movement would split into two factions," the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) news agency quoted a Taliban commander, as saying.

"One small group would hold talks with the Hamid Karzai-led government and the other faction would continue jihad," he added.

"Even negotiations with the US would be restricted to swapping the prisoners held by each side and no other issue or proposal from the US," the news agency quoted sources, as saying.

The sources admitted that the negotiation process was "so weak that an office for Taliban has not yet been opened" in Qatar and added that no breakthrough has been achieved on the key agenda of prisoners' swap, the Daily Times reports.

The High Peace Council Deputy Chairman Abdul Hakim Mujahid expressed hope that the body would join the talks between the Taliban and the US, which would be unsuccessful without their participation. (ANI)