No peace in Afghanistan if foreign occupation continues, want direct talks with US: Taliban leader

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

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

aliban fighters pose during a patrol in Ghazni province in January 2010. The leader of the Taliban said in August 2018 that there will be no peace in Afghanistan as long as the foreign “occupation” continues, reiterating the group’s position that the 17-year war can only be brought to an end through direct talks with the United States. (AFP Photo)

In a message released Saturday in honor of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah says 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.

From 1996 until 2001, the Taliban ruled in accordance with a harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Women were barred from education and largely confined to their homes, and the country hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida.