Taliban threaten to impede elections
KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban militants announced Tuesday that they intend to disrupt Afghanistan’s presidential campaign and elections set for Sept. 28. Their statement came just hours after U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad reported that he had made “excellent progress” during talks with the insurgents in Qatar.
The group urged voters to stay away from election events, saying it did not want to harm them. But after a bomb and gun attack July 28 killed 20 people at the Kabul office of one vice presidential candidate, Afghan media reported that another candidate has canceled a rally planned near the capital.
In a statement on its website, the Taliban said the elections would have “no legitimacy” because the country is “under occupation.” It called the elections “a ploy to deceive the common people” and said the “ultimate decision-making power” lies with foreigners who are running the process.
The Taliban warning seemed likely to further slow the pace of campaigning for the elections, which have already been delayed twice because of poor management and bickering within the government led by President Ashraf Ghani.
Many Afghans think the vote may be postponed again because of the acceleration of talks between the Taliban and U.S. officials, although Ghani, who is seeking re-election, has said he is determined that it will be held on schedule.
In a statement Tuesday, Ghani’s office said Afghans “will attend the poll centers and cast their vote to directly elect their future leader and to disgrace the enemies of their freedom.” A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the government will use all of its resources to protect “the candidates and the election process.”
In its statement, the Taliban alluded positively to the peace talks, saying that “negotiations are underway to bring an end to the occupation and arrangements for intra-Afghan understanding are being put into place.” The elections, they said, are aimed only at “satisfying the ego of a limited number of sham politicians.”
Amnesty International, the London-based rights group, condemned the Taliban in a statement for planning to target election rallies. That “demonstrates a chilling disregard for human life,” it said. “Afghans must be allowed to exercise their rights.”
U.S. officials have said they hope to conclude a peace agreement with the Taliban by early September, in part so that elections can take place. But they have also said they place an equally high priority on both processes.
On Tuesday, a Taliban official said the U.S. and the Taliban have resolved differences in peace talks over the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and guarantees from the insurgents that they will cut ties with other extremist groups.