Kabul - Five members of the Taliban have been removed from a United Nations Security Council sanctions list.

They include a former Taliban envoy to the UN, Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad Awrang, and Abdul Salam Zaeef, author of the book My Life with the Taliban.

The other de-listed men are former deputy health minister Abdul Satar Paktin and two now-deceased officials.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been seeking such a move in order to ease reconciliation talks with insurgents.

The decision to release the five from an asset freeze and travel ban was taken as part of an overall review of the UN sanctions list, which includes about 500 individuals and entities allegedly linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

The Afghan government has recently been pressing for the removal of more Taliban names.

However, diplomats say the five announced on Friday stem from old requests made about five years ago.