Kabul: Taliban commanders in Afghanistan have told a TV that they are willing to explore peace talks. They say they will do so if they can have solid guarantees about their own future and safety.
The Afghan government and its foreign allies say they are making contact with the Taliban representatives – but no formal talks are under way. In public, the Taliban have repeatedly rejected talks, saying there can be no progress until foreign troops leave. But in what appears to be a significant new development, more than a dozen senior and mid-level Taliban commanders have said that they are interested in a peaceful settlement.
”If I am sure that our conditions will be met and we’ll have dignity and respect, then there will be no excuse to fight,” a Taliban commander who wanted to remain anonymous said. ”But at the moment we cannot trust the Afghan government and Americans.
They are not sincere in what they say”. Many commanders echoed these views, complaining they are victims of a plot to divide and weaken them. One of the main issues is a lack of faith in promises of security and protection.
A Taliban commander from Nooristan, Mullah Malang, is opposed to talks and accuses US and Afghan security officials of breaking amnesty agreements. More trusted is needed if any talks make progress “We haven’t talked to anyone and we’ll never talk,” he said. “The Afghan government bring in fake Taliban and say they have surrendered.
Americans have also made promises with many people that in exchange for reintegration, they will do this and that for the Taliban. “But when they surrender, they are arrested and then taken to Bagram or Guantanamo [prisons].”
Afghan officials acknowledge that mistakes have been made by Afghan and foreign security forces. They say that they want to change this. ”There are cases of officials intimidating former Taliban members who were not fighting, but we want to make sure that this won’t happen again,” said High Peace Council head Burhanuddin Rabbani.
”We want to focus on common points between the Afghan government and the Taliban and want to give them a respectful life and a dignified exit.” The government and Nato say contacts have been made with the Taliban but no formal peace talks are yet under way.
The Taliban leaders showed an interest in having a political office in a third country where they will be able to negotiate from a neutral place. But there are concerns that a new generation of Taliban – or “neo Taliban” – which is considered more radical and less prone to reconciliation is becoming more powerful.
The role and co-operation of Pakistan, where many Taliban leaders are believed to be living, is considered very important. Many senior Taliban feel they are caught between a rock and a hard place. They can not live peacefully in Afghanistan and they are under pressure in Pakistan too.
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