British agents met with Taliban

LONDON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- British intelligence agents have met secretly with leaders of the Taliban, despite Prime Minister Gordon Brown's promise there would be no such negotiations.

Officers from the M16 Secret Intelligence Service met with militant leaders in Afghanistan several times during the summer, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

"The SIS officers were understood to have sought peace directly with the Taliban with them coming across as some sort of armed militia," an intelligence source told The Daily Telegraph. "The British would also provide 'mentoring' for the Taliban."

News of the meetings comes two weeks after Brown's pledge to Parliament that Britain wouldn't negotiate with insurgents. Opposition leaders said Brown has "some explaining to do," the newspaper reported.