Taliban supreme leader offers direct negotiations with US
The Taliban supreme leader Mullah Hebatullah
Akhundzada has offered direct negotiations with the United States in a bid to
end the ongoing conflict, Khaama Press reported.
“The only path to rescuing ourselves from all these
calamities is for all American and other occupying forces to leave our country
and for an independent, Islamic, intra-Afghan government to take root. Our
Jihad began for this exact purpose and in conjunction to our armed Jihad, we
have kept the doors of understanding and negotiations open to reach this
objective and appointed the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate as the
exclusive avenue of activity in this regard,” Hebatullah said in a message
released ahead of Eid.
He said “If the American officials truly believe in
a peaceful end to the Afghan imbroglio then they must directly present themselves
to the negotiation table so that this tragedy (invasion) – the destructive
effects of which mainly harm the American and Afghan people – can be resolved
through talks. The biggest mistake on part of the American officials is that
they approach every problem with stubbornness but force cannot yield results in
every case.”
This comes as efforts are underway to start
negotiations for reconciliation, led and owned by the Afghans.
However, the Taliban group has so far refrained to
participate in any form of Afghan-led and owned negotiations although President
Ghani earlier made bold proposals to encourage the group for the talks.
