The deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, said the militant group is in peace negotiations with the country’s government, MSNBC is reporting. Mohammad added the government has released 145 Talibani prisoners, and has stopped military operation in the Bajaur tribal region.

The peace talks come after the Pakistani Taliban has been engaging in a four-year war against the government in Islamabad. However, the peace talks could lead to a deterioration in U.S.-Pakistan relations. The government hasn’t officially commented on whether the talks are really underway. If they are, the billion dollar aid the U.S. sends to Pakistan, may be placed in jeopardy.

Mohammad, who is in Afghanistan, said the discussions began after the All Parties Conference in Islamabad several months ago. In order to restore peace, the political leadership supported peace negotiations with the Pakistani Taliban. Mohammad said the militant group was “reluctant earlier to seriously take offers for peace talks from the government as the government had lost its credibility by arresting some senior Taliban commanders in Swat…They were invited for holding peace talks and were then taken into custody.”

Mohammad also said the government had recently showed courage in changing its policies toward the Taliban. But he felt the talks were going in the right direction, as the government has realized there’s no military solution to the conflict in Pakistan.

Written by: Karen Benardello