The Pakistan Taliban says it has entered into peace talks with the government.

Deputy Taliban commander Maulvi Faqir Mohammad told reporters on Saturday that talks were progressing well.

There was no immediate word from the government on whether the dialogue was actually taking place with the militants.

The United States, the source of billions of dollars of aid to Pakistan, is unlikely to support peace moves with the Pakistani Taliban, which the U.S. regards as a terrorist group.

A Taliban spokesman and Pakistan's military and government denied last month that peace negotiations were taking place.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said the militant group would have to rid itself of weapons before any negotiations could begin.

The government has cut peace deals with the Pakistani Taliban in the past, but they have largely fallen apart. Critics have said the agreements allow the militants to regroup and rebuild their strength to resume fighting the government and foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

It is also not clear if the Pakistani Taliban are united enough to actually strike a lasting deal.

Pakistan has come under pressure to eradicate militancy since U.S. special forces in May killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani town, where he had apparently been living for years.