Taliban chief wants direct talks with US

Group has had a major resurgence in recent years, seizing districts across Afghanistan

The leader of the Taliban said yesterday there will be no peace in Afghanistan as long as the foreign “occupation” continues, reiterating the group’s position that the 17year war can only be brought to an end through direct talks with the United States.

In a message released on occasion of the Eid Al Adha holiday, Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah said the group remains committed to “Islamic goals,” the sovereignty of Afghanistan and ending the war.

The Taliban have had a major resurgence in recent years, seizing districts across the country and regularly carrying out large-scale attacks.

Earlier this month, the Taliban launched a major assault on the city of Ghazni, just 120 kilometres from the capital, Kabul. Afghan security forces battled the militants inside the city for five days, as the US carried out air strikes and send advisers to help ground forces.

The battle for Ghazni killed at least 100 members of the Afghan security forces and 35 civilians, according to Afghan officials.

A year ago, President Donald Trump announced that he would send additional US forces to confront the Taliban. But since then the insurgents’ profile has risen, both on the battlefield and in the diplomatic sphere. The Taliban sent a delegation to Uzbekistan to meet with senior officials earlier this month, and say they recently met with a senior US diplomat in Qatar for what they called “preliminary talks.”

The US neither confirmed nor denied the meeting.