US President Barack Obama is open to the idea of reaching out to moderate elements of the Taliban, The New York Times reported yesterday.

In an interview with the newspaper, Obama said that some of the US success in Iraq involved reaching out to Islamic fundamentalists who had been alienated by the tactics of Al-Qaida in Iraq.

"There may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and the Pakistani region," he said. "But the situation in Afghanistan is, if anything, more complex."