Taliban calls peace jirga 'nonsense'

Also on Monday, while workers were still busy hauling stacks of chairs and giant saucepans in last-minute preparations for the peace jirga, security checkups had been intensified along Kabul's dusty streets, causing massive traffic jams in the city.

"All necessary measures have been taken and, God willing, it will all be fine," said Masood, using a customary Muslim expression, in between hugging and kissing arriving officials, according to Reuters.

Afghan police said Saturday that they had seized a major cache of nearly 300 rockets, including 278 122 mm rockets with a range of 20 kilometers and 15 rockets with a range of 30 kilometers, hidden on the outskirts of Kabul, which could have been used to attack the capital, AFP reported.

Although the Taliban leadership has not issued any specific threat against the jirga, Gulab told the Global Times that he believes the Taliban will demonstrate its presence and power during the three-day jirga.

"We will definitely do something," he said.

In southern Kandahar Province, a Taliban stronghold, NATO said an airstrike killed a top Taliban commander, Haji Amir, and several of his fighters in the Panjwai district Sunday. Thousands of US troops are being deployed in Kandahar, as part of a new counter-insurgency strategy.