The Afghan Taliban have denied the authenticity of a letter that ordered fighters to cease attacks in Afghanistan and was purportedly signed by Mullah Omar, saying the letter was “fabricated” and distributed by the Central Intelligence Agency.
The Taliban issued a formal denial in a statement that was released today in English and other languages on their official website, Voice of Jihad.
“The intelligence circles of the enemy have recently distributed a fabricated letter attributed to the leader of Islamic Emirate in form of a statement in the several provinces and border regions of the country and as well as the adjacent tribal belt,” read the statement, which is signed by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The Taliban said that the “fabricated letter put inside envelopes has also been given to some media outlets inside Kabul and other provinces by the Americans and their puppets [the Afghan government and security forces].”
According to the Taliban’s statement on Voice of Jihad, “The letter states: (All the Mujahideen of the Islamic Movement should restrain their operations until the end of negotiation process in Qatar) and other such nonsense….This action is clearly the work of the intelligence agency of America (CIA) to deceive the people and for mischievous purposes ….”
The Taliban claimed the CIA issued the letter because the US and NATO are “facing frustration and have been shaken by the courageous blows of our Afghan nation.”
The US is seeking a diplomatic settlement to the war in Afghanistan, and has attempted to open negotiations with the Taliban. The US has permitted the Taliban to open an office in Qatar to facilitate negotiations, and said it was open to freeing five dangerous Taliban leaders who have closely allied with al Qaeda in the past. [See LWJ reports, Taliban seek freedom for dangerous Guantanamo detainees and Afghan peace council reportedly seeks talks with Taliban commanders held at Gitmo.]
But the Taliban have said that before negotiations can proceed, the US must free the five al Qaeda-linked commanders detained at Guantanamo Bay and withdraw all foreign forces from Afghanistan. The Taliban have also maintained that the group would not participate in the political process or join the Afghan government, and instead insisted that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan be restored. In fact, the Taliban have described the opening of an office in Qatar as a political “victory” that would allow the world to recognize the Taliban as not only a “military power” but also “a well-organized political power.”
In today’s statement, the Taliban reiterated that they would continue to wage “jihad” until all foreign forces have left the country, and that they would redouble their efforts to eject US and NATO troops by force.
“The Americans must unequivocally understand that the ongoing Jihad and struggle against them is the Islamic and religious obligation of our nation which is our guiding principle and it will continue as long as there is an illegal foreign presence on this soil,” the Taliban said.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan shall exert even more efforts to uproot such plots of the enemy, intensify its operations against the Americans, their allies and their despicable internal supporters and will continue unabatedly with its sacred Jihad until the complete withdrawal of all the foreign forces,” the statement concluded.
10 Comments
The Taliban would only ceasfire if pressure came from the Pak ISI.They arrest leadership if the Taliban seek peace talks without their permission.
Heard the same diplomatic settlement to the war, back 40 years ago, I expect the same long term results…
“The Taliban claimed the CIA issued the letter because the US and NATO are “facing frustration and have been shaken by the courageous blows of our Afghan nation.”
I believe them.
——-
“The US is seeking a diplomatic settlement to the war in Afghanistan, and has attempted to open negotiations with the Taliban.”
I’ll resist calling a spade a bloody shovel, but i wlll call it a spade: the truth is that the US has already lost the war, having lost the plot a long time ago. What we’re witnessing is the US figuring out how it can run through the exit doors with the tidiest pink ribbons tied around its defeat.
In the end you lost not to AQ and the Taliban but to a poxy little country in Asia that your foreign policy strategic geniuses have courted decade after decade after decade, called Pakistan that is as moral as a hardened, infected whore. The larger lesson to learn if you will is: Do the right thing, learn to keep better company, and realise how naive, no matter how great, you actually are.
Villager….The US has not “Lost” the war in Afghanistan, that is just a gross misunderstanding of every available fact. We have killed more then 25, 000 Taliban and Al Qaida fighters and commanders. We have decimated the ranks of both groups to the point that they have lost all of their territory other then waziristan. The most they can do is hit and run attacks and the occasional NATO infiltration, other then that they are a beaten force, otherwise they wouldn’t be negotiating with us. You need to get you facts straight, brother.
We are the world’s most adept military and war fighting machine, niether Iraq nor Afghanistan has diminished that fact, as General Barry McCaffery has said “This is the best American military to field since WWII.”
Devin, yes you’re great, very great, but sorry to say you are equally naive. Also, you are American and while i support the Americans, you are subjective.
The proof of the pudding my friend is in the eating. If you are so winning why are you having to negotiate with this rag-tag guerrilla group, so decimated as you call them. You could’ve done that in 2001. Did you go there in 2001 to negotiate? What are you going to negotiate with these thugs. Please don’t come after us, after killing 25.000 of your compatriots, and please keep the peace here and follow our model democracy and please look after your women as we look after ours. Negotiating indeed. Never heard anything so ludicrous. Is this what the most adept army in the world can do? Or what is it with your politicians. I’ll tell you in 3 words: naive, naive, naive.
You love statistics, don’t you! Tell me how how many miles of roads does ISAF control 24hrs. And what percentage is that of Afghanistan?
I care less what your Gen McCaffery has to say. I have my own brain. And knew back then how plainly stupid Petraeus was when he cowed down to Obama and agreed a drawdown in 2011.
And on Pakistan your President and the whole lot are clueless. So, they continue running little circles around you like fools and laughing all the way to the bank. Your President can not even see beyond the end of his nose. In late 2010 he announced he would go visit Pakistan. I was laughing then indeed. He can’t even get down to see his troops once a year leave alone going to Pakistan. How secure are you really, if you say you are winning?
If you still have the will to win, which i, most of your war-supportive compatriots, the world and even the Taliban doubt you have to start from zero, from getting real–not quoting this, that or the other General. All your costs are sunk costs. Get yourself a strategy that includes Pak, ie includes the whole of AF Pak. Else you’ll continue to fight half-a-war in an Affed war. Good luck!
Penultimate sentence:
“Else you’ll continue to fight half-a-war in an Affed war.
Read:Else you’ll continue to fight half-a-war in an half-Affed way.
villIger
Villager…I admire your zeal in your opinion, and I am not trying to offend you. I just think that The American military has done a great deal of damage over the past 11 years to the Taliban and Al Qaida and that the statistics bear those out. We have lost far fewer troops then we have killed, that counts for something. We have denied the Taliban and Al Qaida safe sanctuary in places they once openly controlled via the surge of last year. We are winning the war, maybe not 100%, but at least 80-85% of the way. I think you and I just have different views of how this war is going and that is understandable. I was a Marine, so I have a certain bias which I admit to. But I also read analysys from independent people who say the same thing. The Taliban is a potent and resilient force but they are up against the most lethal military ever fielded in history, not the Russians and not the British…We will continue to win this war and after 2014 our Spec Ops units and CIA will keep the Taliban from taking power once agagin like they did before 9/11. But I know you and I must agree to disagree on this matter, which is fine, I respect your opinion.
Devin, i don’t want the last word. In fact i’m happy to give that to Bill Roggio. When Bill calls it that we are winning, i’m likely to buy into it.
As for timing and 2014, War is not a football match that you can put a timeline to, but they have. And so a word of caution about overestimating what Spec Ops and the CIA will or will not be able to do of their own. After all they’re hardly idling now, in order to only swing in when the main forces are withdrawn. And also underestimating the risks of a Taliban resurgence in the vacuum. This war is complex, very complex. I hate it!
With respect!
To Devin and Villiger
You are both right to some extent IMO.
US was naive going into this War I do not think the “Pakistan Problem” was really forseen or planned for and ISAF has pretty much achieved as much as it can in Afghanistan now.
However this is far from a loss for US and ISAF, at the beginning of the War the Taliban operated a conventional Military Force much like any other nation, this was absolutely destroyed at the beginning of the War. Their Leader Mullah Omar is in hiding and is not likely to come out again IMO.
The Taliban has been infiltrated by AQ and although previously Afghan housed foreign fighters they were controlled by the Taliban. Now however foreigners run their own operations and AQ seems to be the dominant one over the Talibs. Afghans do not like foreigners being in their country, not just the US this includes Arabs Chechens etc especially is they are killing other Afghans.
Essentially the taliban has been weakened and diluted so much it is no longer the organisation it began as, again IMO. I think nowadays to defeat a guerilla force you would have to use methods that are abhorrent to our respect of Human Rights, such as we are now seeing in Syria and briefly in Lybia and what the Russians are doing in Chechnya. ISAF will just not do this so without the will of the people they can never totally defeat the insurgency. When we leave however do you think the ANA will respect the Geneva conventions or fall into extrajudicial executions of enemy combatants? I know what I think will happen.
Sorry for the length of my comment!
Neonmeat, no don’t apologise. I think you’ve got it. And the ‘pakistan problem’ is not going away with ISAF’s withdrawal. Expect it to worsen–they have sat this one out admirably over 10 years. Quite amazing that they’ve actually pulled it off, when you think and look back at it.
As for afghanistan, i still maintain if there is a litmus test, it is what potion of afghan roads can be said to be controlled by ISAF/ANSF 24/7 today?
Pak cannot be left out of the equation do what you will, if a tenable ‘solution’ is to be found.
As i’ve said before, imo, BALOCHISTAN IS THE KEY.