Taliban refute reports of talks with US, Kabul

[unknownprince]

Taliban refute reports of talks with US, Kabul



Taliban refute reports of talks with US, Kabul

May 22, 2011

PESHAWAR: Once again there are unverified reports that the Afghan Taliban are holding talks with the US and other countries, but it is not possible to get these news confirmed.

Matters are not helped because the US is not confirming these reports and the Taliban are constantly in denial of such reports.

Reacting to a recent report in sections of the US media, the Taliban denied that they were holding direct talks with the US government. They also insisted that Taliban have held no talks with President Hamid Karzai’s government.

Taliban spokesmen Zabihullah Mujahid and Qari Yousaf insisted that there was no change in their stance that all foreign forces must leave Afghanistan before talks could be held. They termed the media report as part of propaganda against the Taliban.

They insisted that Taliban had neither held talks with the US or its allies or with the Afghan government and its High Council for Peace.

The Taliban spokesmen also rejected reports that they made a demand that a Taliban office be opened in Qatar to facilitate contacts. They said Taliban have neither made any such demand nor intended to open an office in Qatar or anywhere else. They claimed the Taliban were neither lacked address nor country as more than half of Afghanistan was in their control.

In the past, Turkey had publicly offered to host a Taliban office to facilitate contacts with the Mullah Mohammad Omar-led militant group.

Reports had also appeared that a Taliban office could be opened in Dubai, UAE or Turkmenistan. Quoting Afghan government officials, a major US newspaper reported recently that a Taliban representative close to Mullah Omar held talks with the US officials in Qatar and also in other places.

The Taliban also rejected the claims made by President Obama and General David Rodriguez, the second most senior US commander in Afghanistan, that Taliban influence had decreased in the country and that of President Karzai’s government had increased.

President Obama argued that the death of Osama bin Laden in a recent US military raid had dealt a blow to the Taliban and ended their influence in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the Taliban spokesmen argued that increase in Taliban attacks in Afghanistan in recent days and weeks showed that they enjoyed public support and that their influence had increased.

[unknownprince]

A gloomy picture for Afghan peace talks as Taliban continues to fight

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-06/25/c_13949976.htm

English.news.cn 2011-06-25 21:09:44

by Farid Behbud, Yan Liang
KABUL, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The prospects of the ongoing peace negotiations with Taliban appears to be bleak as radical outfit fighting Afghan and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has vowed to continue armed struggle until foreign troops leave Afghanistan.
Amid increasing militancy and muscling by warring sides in Afghanistan, efforts to push for peace talks and national reconciliation in Afghanistan have been accelerated in the insurgency-hit country, however, no positive signs are on the horizon for the near future, local experts say.
"Reaching a settlement through negotiation appears very difficult as both the government and its Western backers and the Taliban have their own pre-conditions and that the gap is too wide to reach a deal between them," Mohammad Daud Noori, a lecturer of international relations in Kabul University, told Xinhua on Saturday.
The Afghan government says that any Taliban elements renounce violence, sever ties with the al-Qaida network and accept the Afghan constitution are welcome in the reconciliation process; while the Taliban outfit makes the withdrawal of international troops from the country as a precondition before they participate in peace talks.
"With such perspectives and firm stance, bringing Taliban high- ranking leaders to the negotiation table seems extremely difficult if not impossible at least in the near future, even though there might be talks behind the scene, but in public the Taliban reject, " Noori said.
"There is no negotiation with the United States or with any other countries and we deny any report about such kind of peace talks. We said this many times before," Zabihullah Mujahid, who claims to speak for Taliban outfit, told local media via cell phone from an undisclosed location on June 18, after Afghan President Hamid Karzai confirmed that the U.S. was in contact with Taliban militants for peace talks.
"The recent reports of peace talks with the Taliban have been coincided with the announcement of the troop's drawdown by U.S. President Barack Obama from Afghanistan," Noori believed, and there could be two reasons.
Firstly, Obama wants to send a signal to the Taliban that the U. S. forces are going to leave the country and that they should take part in reconciliation process. Secondly, it could be a message for U.S. and Afghan public that while the troops are leaving the country there has been some advances in political settlement to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan, Noori said.
However, even the Afghan government does not have a clear strategy for peace talks and negotiations process at present stage and the ongoing efforts might bring no fruits as a result, Noori added, and the ongoing peace talks as reported might be dragged by the conflicting views in the 70-member High Peace Council, established in 2010 to push forward the peace talks and reconciliation with Taliban.
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced 10,000 U.S. troops would be withdrawn in 2011, followed by a further 23,000 by the end of September 2012. In a sharp reaction, Taliban militants on Thursday in a statement released to media downplayed the announcement of President Obama as a trick to deceive public opinion and called for the complete pullout of foreign forces

[unknownprince]

PressTV - 'US to fail in bringing Taliban to talks'

US to fail in bringing Taliban to talks'
Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:22PM
Interview with Habib Hakim, political analyst in Kabul




The US will fail in its plans to bring the Taliban to talks as the militants will not hold talks unless all US-led foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan, a political analyst says.


Press TV interviewed Habib Hakim, a political analyst in Kabul, to share his thought on his view concerning the Taliban-US talks.

Press TV: What do you see happening in Afghanistan? Is there a reason for Taliban to come to the table and talk to the United States?

Hakim: The United States has tried to conduct efforts to bring the Taliban back to the political process and into normal life in Afghanistan over the past three to four years. The Taliban has frequently rejected talks with the United States and its allies, [and] with the government of Afghanistan. The first condition for Taliban is for the foreign troops to leave Afghanistan, and after that they will be ready to talk to the government of Afghanistan. And they know that if the foreign troops leave Afghanistan, the government of Afghanistan cannot resist against the Taliban and they will come back to power. But this is a theory in the United States that they can negotiate with the Taliban and they will bring the Taliban into the peace process in Afghanistan and into political life in Afghanistan.

But I think that the things are not going in favor of the United States and that things are absolutely different on the ground in Afghanistan. The Taliban has expanded their activities over the past three to four years in Afghanistan, and they are threatening the US and the foreign existence. And now they are a serious threat to the Unites States and to the government of Afghanistan, and they believe that they will ultimately win the war against the United States and its allies, and they believe that the United States cannot stay in Afghanistan for a long time, and they cannot fight against them for a long time under the current circumstances in Afghanistan.

They believe that they can attract more people to them and they can increase their military activities against the foreign troops in Afghanistan. Because of this, I think the Taliban are not ready to join negotiations with the government of Afghanistan or with the United States, but I think that still the United States believes that there is an opportunity to talk with the Taliban, because the United States says that the Taliban is under military pressure in Afghanistan and it [forces] them to accept the negotiations and to accept the United States or the government of Afghanistan's conditions, and ultimately they will join the peace process in Afghanistan. But I think the realty on the ground is absolutely different.


Press TV: Do you think that the average Afghan in your country believes that the US-led forces are there for their own purpose or there to help the Afghan people? Our guest in Chicago talked about war fatigue being the state of affairs now in the United States. What about your country that has witnessed so much war?

Hakim: If we talk about the support of the people of Afghanistan, the United States or the foreign troops in Afghanistan, we have to consider that there are two kinds of people in Afghanistan, or two parts of the people in Afghanistan.

The majority of the people of Afghanistan, of course, do not support the Taliban movement in Afghanistan. But if we talk about the southern provinces or the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, the majority of the people are supporting the Taliban in these provinces. If we are talking about the northern provinces of Afghanistan, or the central provinces of Afghanistan, the majority of the people in these provinces are not supporting the Taliban, because they suffered a lot during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

A lot of them have been killed by the Taliban insurgents in the 1990s, and when the Taliban captured some of the northern provinces, or the central provinces of Afghanistan, they committed genocide in these provinces.

But the Pashtun tribe or the Pashtun people in the southern part of Afghanistan and the border area with Pakistan and tribal areas inside the Pakistani territory, are supporting the Taliban. It means that the Taliban have the sources to support the Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, and they are against foreign troops in Afghanistan. Because of this we cannot say in general that the people of Afghanistan, or the majority, are supporting the Taliban or not. There are differences between the people of Afghanistan towards the Taliban movement.

REZ/AKM

[randolph85]

The majority of the people of Afghanistan, of course, do not support the Taliban movement in Afghanistan. But if we talk about the southern provinces or the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, the majority of the people are supporting the Taliban in these provinces. If we are talking about the northern provinces of Afghanistan, or the central provinces of Afghanistan, the majority of the people in these provinces are not supporting the Taliban, because they suffered a lot during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

doesn't that fly in the face of ur claim that ALL afghans support the taliban?

[randolph85]

"With such perspectives and firm stance, bringing Taliban high- ranking leaders to the negotiation table seems extremely difficult if not impossible at least in the near future, even though there might be talks behind the scene, but in public the Taliban reject, " Noori said.

jesus christ, do u even read ur own posts?

[unknownprince]

'US to fail in bringing Taliban to talks'

YouTube - ‪Clueless conflict-News Analysis-06-19-2011-(Part1)‬‏

YouTube - ‪Clueless conflict-News Analysis-06-19-2011-(Part2)‬‏

[unknownprince]

YouTube - ‪Clueless conflict-News Analysis-06-19-2011-(Part1)‬‏

YouTube - ‪Clueless conflict-News Analysis-06-19-2011-(Part2)‬‏

[unknownprince]

America’s Way Out from the Afghan Maze

http://www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com/2011/07/04/americas-way-out-from-the-afghan-maze/

Submitted by Dan Qayyum on July 4, 2011 – 7:56 pmNo Comment



“Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan once again wants to make it clear that the solution for the Afghan crisis lies in the full withdrawal of all foreign troops immediately and (while) this does not happen, our armed struggle will increase from day to day,” – Taliban spokesman

Dan Qayyum, Editor PakistanKaKhudaHafiz.com
US President Barack Obama has announced steps for a phased pullout of 100,000 troops from Afghanistan to end a costly war launched after the September 11, 2001, attacks and switch the focus to the troubled economy.
But the Afghan Taliban, resurgent a decade after being toppled from power, dismissed Obama’s announcement as symbolic and said only a full, immediate withdrawal of foreign forces could stop “pointless bloodshed.” They rejected any suggestion of U.S. gains against the insurgents.
Reports and selective leaks from the US media also imply that the US had started to directly talk with the Taliban while excluding Pakistan from these talks.
Pakistan is America’s supposed regional ally, as well as Afghanistan’s largest neighbour which has suffered directly due to cross border infiltration of militants from Afghanistan into its territory. Nearly 40,000 civilians and aroud 4,000 soldiers and paramilitary forces have been killed in terror attacks in Pakistan in the last few years and Pakistan’s economy is said to have suffered to the tune of around 60 billion dollars in the last decade since the American invasion of Afghanistan.
The Taliban, or the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as they call themselves, for their part dismissed the American hype over direct talks by striking the fortress-like Intercontinental Hotel within the heart of Kabul’s secure zone, humiliating US and NATO claims of having weakened them. The attack occurred hours before a scheduled conference, backed by the US, on transition plans for the country.
The Taliban in recent years have demonstrated a startling determination to repeatedly expose the weaknesses and humiliate the US led coalition forces, particularly after each public claim by the United States to have gained an upper hand in controlling the insurgency.
“Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan once again wants to make it clear that the solution for the Afghan crisis lies in the full withdrawal of all foreign troops immediately and (while) this does not happen, our armed struggle will increase from day to day,” said a Taliban spokesman in a statement to the media.
Any U.S. suggestion, they said, of “making headway in Afghanistan and Obama’s proclamation of them being in a stronger position are nothing more than baseless claims and propaganda.”
From absolute certainty, to absolute embarassment
When the US invaded Afghanistan weeks after the 9/11 attacks in New York, two things seeemed absolutely certain to international observers and US military planners. First being that the Taliban are barbaric killers and terrorists with whom the US would never negotiate – and the second being that America and its allies will gain a swift victory after annihilating the Taliban within weeks.
Ten years later and with millions killed and billions spent, reality must feel like a slap in the face for President Obama and his military advisers. Not only are the Taliban in ascendancy and in control of over 70% of the Afghan territory, they also have the US on its knees begging the Taliban to enter negotiations for a face-saving safe exit.
In most military conflicts the first side to offer terms for negotiation is usually the one that has unexpectedly taken a beating so severe that it feels it cannot carry on with the status quo. Those in control of the war and expecting big gains in the near future have no reason to negotiate with the enemy.
Searching for a swift victory the US today faces absolute defeat in a long drawn out, expensive and messy war. US officials claim almost every week, proudly, that the US is talking directly to the Taliban. Their claims are almost always followed by a swift Taliban rebuttal and often a deadly attack on US and NATO forces, as if to drive home a point.
Hamid Karzai, CIA’s puppet in Kabul implanted by Washington too seems to be itching to switch sides. Openly criticizing the US military actions in his country, he has started tapping into the terminology usually associated with the Taliban, by calling for ‘American invaders’ to behave. ‘Behave’, not ‘leave’ however, as he believs his fate may not be too different to that of Najibullah, the Soviet puppet who was dragged to his death behind a truck in the streets of Kabul after his capture at the hands of the Taliban from a UN compound. Najibullah’s bloodied body was later hung publicly in Aryana Square.
Economic Collapse – Shades of USSR?
Back home in Washington, the US stands on the verge of bankruptcy. TIME Magazine reported last month that a panel of academics experienced in war accounting says the 1 Trillion figure released by the Pentagon last month is just a down payment — and that War on Terror’s real, total cost is around $5 trillion.
Five trillion dollars: that’s $16,000 per American; $64,000 for a family of four.
The final official tally of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan will reach at least $3.7 trillion, and could go as high as $4.4 trillion, according to a study done by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies.
“Our estimate is larger because we include more than the direct Pentagon appropriation for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the larger global war on terror; wars always cost more than what the Pentagon spends for the duration of the combat operation,” the report says.
The study’s estimate of $4 trillion also includes items not counted by the Pentagon, including homeland security, veterans care and various developmental efforts. Then there is the additional $1 trillion in interest payments on the war debt. Many international ecnonomists and observers have predicted the collapse of the US economy within months, some even arguing that the country stands bankrupt as of today.
The reluctance of Obama to pull troops out without a negotiated settlement with the Afghans is purely to save face internationally and avoid the humiliation that a defeat in decade long war that has bankrupted the US economy, will bring. Coupled with economic collapse, an American pullout from Afghanistan that excludes any hint of a ‘gain’ for the Americans, will spell the death of America as we know it.
The Afghan terrain has throughout history been a maze for foreign invaders. Every promising opening for the invaders bring them to a dead end. Every corner is a false hope. The only way out of this maze – as the Soviets, the British, and many others before them have found out – is the realization that there is no way out.