Associated Press, 09 January 2006
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A purported Taliban spokesman Monday rejected any offer of talks from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, while a statement he attributed to fugitive insurgent leader Mullah Omar vowed to intensify attacks.
In an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul on Sunday, Karzai suggested Omar should "get in touch" with his government if he wanted to talk peace.
"We reject the offer of talks by Karzai," Mohammed Hanif, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said in a call to an AP reporter in neighboring Pakistan.
"Karzai is nothing but a mouthpiece of Americans. Such offers are nothing but a move to weaken our morale."
He said that the Taliban would not hold talks with the Afghan government "if foreign occupation troops are in Afghanistan."
Hanif's claim could not be independently verified and his exact ties to the Taliban leadership are unclear.
The Taliban regime was ousted from power by U.S.-led forces four years ago for hosting al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Its fighters have since targeted Karzai's government and the coalition forces. Some 1,600 people died in the violence last year.
Hours after Hanif called, the AP was sent a written statement purportedly by Omar. Speaking later, the Taliban spokesman claimed it was authentic.
The statement compared the rebellion in Afghanistan with Iraq.
"In Afghanistan they will face the same fate very soon," it said. "With the beginning of the new year, Afghan groups and mujahedeen will intensify their attacks. Their techniques will improve."
The statement made no reference to Karzai's comments on Sunday.
Statements attributed to Omar are released every few months. The last one in November also warned of increased attacks.
An Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, Gen. Mohammed Zahir Azimi, dismissed Monday's statement as propaganda.
Hanif said Omar - who has a US$10 million bounty on his head - was "not in hiding but leading the Taliban movement."
Referring to a planned expansion of NATO forces in the volatile south of the country this year, Hanif claimed that the military alliance was being given new duties as "American and Afghan forces could not contain our mujahedeen (holy warriors)."
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Citation: "Purported Taliban spokesman rejects talks offer by Afghan president," Associated Press, 09 January 2006.
Original URL: http://start.earthlink.net/article/int?guid=20060109/43c1edd0_3421_1334520060109-912902168
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