The Taleban militia in Afghanistan say they will appoint three recent defectors from the opposition to official positions.

But a spokesman, Wakil Ahmad, ruled out the possibility of sharing power with other factions.

He said only those who joined the Taleban without conditions would be given positions in the administration.

Two of the defectors were from the Hezb-e-Wahdat party, which represents Afghanistan's largely Shia Hazara population.

The other was a deputy of the Uzbek warlord, General Abdur Rashid Dostam.

Correspondents say the appointments will be used by the Taleban to score political points, as the international community has called for a broad-based government in Afghanistan.