There might be no peace in Afghanistan until President Ghani is eliminated, says Taliban

The Taliban say they do not wish to monopolize energy, however they insist there will not be peace in Afghanistan till there’s a new negotiated authorities in Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani is eliminated.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, who can be a member of the group’s negotiating staff, laid out the insurgents’ stance on what ought to come subsequent in a rustic on the precipice.The Taliban have swiftly captured territory in latest weeks, seized strategic border crossings and are threatening various provincial capitals – advances that come because the final U.S. and NATO troopers depart Afghanistan.READ: Exercise warning, keep away from non-essential motion: Indian Embassy points advisory for nationals in Afghanistan This week, the highest U.S. army officer, Gen. Mark Milley, advised a Pentagon press convention that the Taliban have “strategic momentum,” and he didn’t rule out an entire Taliban takeover. But he mentioned it isn’t inevitable. “I don’t think the end game is yet written,” he mentioned.Memories of the Taliban’s final time in energy some 20 years in the past, after they enforced a harsh model of Islam that denied women an schooling and barred ladies from work, have stoked fears of their return amongst many. Afghans who can afford it are making use of by the 1000’s for visas to go away Afghanistan, fearing a violent descent into chaos. The U.S.-NATO withdrawal is greater than 95% full and because of be completed by Aug. 31.Shaheen mentioned the Taliban will lay down their weapons when a negotiated authorities acceptable to all sides within the battle is put in in Kabul and Ghani’s authorities is gone. Afghan safety personnel inspecting a broken automobile in Kabul on Tuesday (Photo Credits: AP)”I want to make it clear that we do not believe in the monopoly of power because any governments who (sought) to monopolize power in Afghanistan in the past, were not successful governments,” mentioned Shaheen, apparently together with the Taliban’s personal five-year rule in that evaluation. “So we do not want to repeat that same formula.”But he was additionally uncompromising on the continued rule of Ghani, calling him a conflict monger and accusing him of utilizing his Tuesday speech on the Islamic holy day of Eid-al-Adha to vow an offensive towards the Taliban.Shaheen dismissed Ghani’s proper to manipulate, resurrecting allegations of widespread fraud that surrounded Ghani’s 2019 election win. After that vote, each Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah declared themselves president. After a compromise deal, Abdullah is now No. 2 within the authorities and heads the reconciliation council.READ: Courage beneath Taliban fireAsked in regards to the Taliban demand that Ghani be eliminated as a situation of a peace settlement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday affirmed President Joe Biden’s help for the Afghan president.”The President and the administration supports the leadership of the Afghan people, including Ashraf Ghani,” Psaki mentioned.In a cellphone name Friday, Biden advised Ghani that he is included $3.3 billion for Afghan safety forces in his fiscal yr 2022 funds request, in line with the White House.The army help contains $1 billion to help the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing, $1 billion for gasoline, ammunition and spare elements, and $700 million to pay salaries for Afghan troopers.The White House mentioned in an announcement that the 2 leaders agreed that the Taliban’s army offensive “is in direct contradiction to the movement’s claim to support a negotiated settlement of the conflict.”READ: Taliban: Covered virtually 85% of Afghanistan, will seize relaxation quickly | UniqueGhani has typically mentioned he’ll stay in workplace till new elections can decide the following authorities. His critics – together with ones outdoors the Taliban – accuse him of looking for solely to maintain energy, inflicting splits amongst authorities supporters.Last weekend, Abdullah headed a high-level delegation to the Qatari capital of Doha for talks with Taliban leaders. It ended with guarantees of extra talks, in addition to better consideration to the safety of civilians and infrastructure.Shaheen known as the talks a superb starting. But he mentioned the federal government’s repeated calls for for a cease-fire whereas Ghani stayed in energy had been tantamount to demanding a Taliban give up.”They don’t want reconciliation, but they want surrendering,” he mentioned.Before any cease-fire, there have to be an settlement on a brand new authorities “acceptable to us and to other Afghans,” he mentioned. Then “there will be no war.”Shaheen mentioned beneath this new authorities, ladies might be allowed to work, go to high school, and take part in politics, however should put on the hijab, or scarf. He mentioned ladies will not be required to have a male family member with them to go away their residence, and that Taliban commanders in newly occupied districts have orders that universities, faculties and markets function as earlier than, together with with the participation of ladies and women. An Afghan civilian carrying a wounded little one to a hospital in Badghis province on July 7, 2021 (Photo Credits: AP)However, there have been repeated studies from captured districts of Taliban imposing harsh restrictions on ladies, even setting fireplace to varsities. One ugly video that emerged appeared to indicate Taliban killing captured commandos in northern Afghanistan.Shaheen mentioned some Taliban commanders had ignored the management’s orders towards repressive and drastic conduct and that a number of have been put earlier than a Taliban army tribunal and punished, although he did present specifics. He contended the video was pretend, a splicing of separate footage.READ: Ground Report from Afghanistan: Kandahar focus of Afghan forces as Taliban encompass metropolisShaheen mentioned there are not any plans to make a army push on Kabul and that the Taliban have thus far “restrained” themselves from taking provincial capitals. But he warned they might, given the weapons and gear they’ve acquired in newly captured districts. He contended that almost all of the Taliban’s battlefield successes got here by means of negotiations, not preventing.”Those districts which have fallen to us and the military forces who have joined us … were through mediation of the people, through talks,” he mentioned. “They (did not fall) through fighting … it would have been very hard for us to take 194 districts in just eight weeks.”The Taliban management about half of Afghanistan’s 419 district facilities, and whereas they’ve but to seize any of the 34 provincial capitals, they’re pressuring about half of them, Milley mentioned. In latest days, the U.S. has carried out airstrikes in help of beleaguered Afghan authorities troops within the southern metropolis of Kandahar, round which the Taliban have been amassing, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby mentioned Thursday.The speedy fall of districts and the seemingly disheartened response by Afghan authorities forces have prompted U.S.-allied warlords to resurrect militias with a violent historical past. For many Afghans weary of greater than 4 many years of conflict, that raises fears of a repeat of the brutal civil conflict within the early Nineties wherein those self same warlords battled for energy.”You know, no one no one wants a civil war, including me,” mentioned Shaheen. Afghan militiamen becoming a member of Afghan protection in Kabul on June 23, 2021 (Photo Credits: AP)Shaheen additionally repeated Taliban guarantees geared toward reassuring Afghans who worry the group.Washington has promised to relocate 1000’s of U.S. army interpreters. Shaheen mentioned they’d nothing to worry from the Taliban and denied threatening them. But, he added, if some wish to take asylum within the West as a result of Afghanistan’s economic system is so poor, “that is up to them.”He additionally denied that the Taliban have threatened journalists and Afghanistan’s nascent civil society, which has been focused by dozens of killings over the previous yr. The Islamic State group has taken accountability for some, however the Afghan authorities has blamed the Taliban for a lot of the killings whereas the Taliban in flip accuse the Afghan authorities of finishing up the killings to defame them. Rarely has the federal government made arrests into the killings or revealed the findings of its investigations.Shaheen mentioned journalists, together with these working for Western media shops, don’t have anything to worry from a authorities that features the Taliban.”We have not issued letters to journalists (threatening them), especially to those who are working for foreign media outlets. They can continue their work even in the future,” he mentioned.