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Saturday, 18 August 2012 12:47
Written by TOLOnews.com
Isaf's top commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, has called a statement issued by Taliban leader Mullah Omar in advance of Sunday's Eid holiday "an unmistakable message of death."
"For normal members of the faithful, this should be a message of congratulations on the occasion of the ending of the holy period of Ramazan, but instead this message speaks to insurgent operations, revenge, death, lies and false unity among the killers," General Allen said.
In the seven-page missive posted on the Taliban website, Mullah Omar said this year's summer offensive had the "unique distinction" of reaching all corners of Afghanistan.
Mullah Omar claimed victories on the battlefield over Nato-led troops in the country, saying the offensive forced Nato and Afghan troops to take on defensive positions. He claimed that a spate of attacks by Afghan forces against Nato troops was the result of Taliban infiltration.
More than 37 foreign soldiers have been killed by their supposed allies in Afghanistan this year.
Mullah Omar said the withdrawal of Isaf troops by the end of 2014 and the transfer of responsibility for providing security to Afghan forces is a sign of defeat.
There are currently 130,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan. Of those, 90,000 are from the US.
So far this year, more than 277 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan.
Written by TOLOnews.com
Isaf's top commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, has called a statement issued by Taliban leader Mullah Omar in advance of Sunday's Eid holiday "an unmistakable message of death."
"For normal members of the faithful, this should be a message of congratulations on the occasion of the ending of the holy period of Ramazan, but instead this message speaks to insurgent operations, revenge, death, lies and false unity among the killers," General Allen said.
In the seven-page missive posted on the Taliban website, Mullah Omar said this year's summer offensive had the "unique distinction" of reaching all corners of Afghanistan.
Mullah Omar claimed victories on the battlefield over Nato-led troops in the country, saying the offensive forced Nato and Afghan troops to take on defensive positions. He claimed that a spate of attacks by Afghan forces against Nato troops was the result of Taliban infiltration.
More than 37 foreign soldiers have been killed by their supposed allies in Afghanistan this year.
Mullah Omar said the withdrawal of Isaf troops by the end of 2014 and the transfer of responsibility for providing security to Afghan forces is a sign of defeat.
There are currently 130,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan. Of those, 90,000 are from the US.
So far this year, more than 277 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan.
