<br/>The United Nations Security Council has removed five former Afghan TalIban officials from its sanctions list which was imposed because of their organizations's links to al-Qaeda.<br/><br/>The Security Council panel said the five would no longer be subject to international travel bans and a freeze on their assets. The men include Abdul Wakil Mutawakil, who was a foreign minister when the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan.<br/><br/>Earlier, President Hamid Karzai called for removal of Taliban names from the UN list in a bid to reach out to them.<br/>And NATO's top commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal had also expressed hope for a negotiated peace with the Taliban.