Naxals set conditions for talks with Jharkhand govt

Naxal leaders have offered to start peace talks with Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren just hours after Soren, while speaking to CNN-IBN, defended the rebels as ordinary villagers and opposed armed action against them. "These Naxals are not foreigners. They are villagers (and) attacking them would backfire. We must investigate before taking any action," Soren had said. Less than 24 hours after Soren explained his strategy to counter Naxal violence, the Jharkhand Maoists responded offering to begin talks but on their terms.