he Afghan intelligence agency says the reclusive leader of the Taliban has disappeared from a suspected hideout in Pakistan and has been out of contact with his commanders for days - adding further questions about Mullah Mohammad Omar after a media ....
Kabul—Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar was killed in Pakistan, a private Afghan television channel reported on Monday. “Mullah Omar was killed on his way from Quetta to North Waziristan,” TOLO television said in its news bulletin. ...
The Taliban says its spiritual leader, Mullah Omar, is alive and well. Western diplomats, as well as Pakistani tribal and intelligence sources, also downplay reports that Omar — who gave shelter to Osama bin Laden after 9/11 — is dead.
Afghanistan's intelligence services on Monday confirmed that the one-eyed Taliban leader Mullah Omar, with a US$10 million bounty on his head, had disappeared from his Quetta hideout in Pakistan. "We can confirm about the disappearance of Omar five ...
Showing posts with label Taliban leader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taliban leader. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
US deepens engagement with Afghan Taliban to end war
The United States has stepped up direct talks with the Afghan Taliban for a political settlement of the 10-year-old war, the Washington Post reported today, a move analysts said earlier had been made easier with the death of Osama bin Laden.
A US representative attended at least three meetings in Qatar and Germany, including one “eight or nine days ago” with a Taliban official considered close to the group’s leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, the report said, citing an Afghan official.
It said Washington was hoping to make progress in these talks before July, when President Barack Obama announces the first troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, part of a process of handing over responsibilities to Afghan forces by 2014.
The report about the talks comes more than two weeks after the death of bin Laden at the hands of US special forces in Pakistan, which analysts said helped clear the path for a political settlement in Afghanistan by making it easier for the Taliban to sever ties with his al Qaeda.
The Taliban sheltered bin Laden in Afghanistan for years, until US-backed Afghan forces toppled them in 2001, unleashing a war between US-led Nato forces and the Islamist group.
But with insurgent violence in Afghanistan at its highest in years and falling domestic support for the war, Western nations, including the United States, have come to back Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s efforts to seek reconciliation with the Taliban.
The Washington Post said the talks with the Taliban had taken place through non-government intermediaries and Arab and European governments. The Taliban, it said, had insisted on direct negotiations with the Americans and proposed opening a formal office, with Qatar as a possible venue.
The discussions were still preliminary. It said the Taliban had transmitted a longstanding list of demands, including the release of up to 20 fighters detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
It also wanted withdrawal of all foreign troops and a guarantee of a substantive Taliban role in government.
The US and Afghan governments want the Taliban to end all violence and to observe the Afghan constitution, including respect for minority rights and those of women, and the rule of law.
The report said the discussions were being conducted with the part of the Taliban that answered to Mullah Omar or had influence in his Pakistan-based Quetta shura.
It quoted officials as saying that no role had been played by the Haqqani network, a group of Afghan fighters based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region seen by the Obama administration as particularly brutal and irreconcilable.
The Haqqani network has had longstanding links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, seen to have used the insurgent group as one of its “strategic assets” in Afghanistan.
The ISI is under a cloud following the discovery and killing of bin Laden in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, facing questions of complicity in shielding him or plain incompetence. —Reuters
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Karzai warms to idea of talking to Taliban in Turkey
President Hamid Karzai said yesterday the Afghan government would welcome any offer by Turkey to facilitate talks with the Taliban that could help bring an end to the conflict in his homeland.
More than 700 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year — nearly a third of the total in over nine years of war.
While US-led Nato forces have applied a surge strategy there is also a search on for ways to bring about a political solution as a countdown begins for the withdrawal of troops.
US President Barack Obama has promised to begin pulling out US forces in 2011, and Nato has agreed to end combat operations and hand security responsiblity to the Afghan army by the end of 2014.
Speaking in Istanbul at the end of a trilateral summit between Turkey, Afghaninstan and Pakistan, Karzai said “dignitaries” close to the Taliban had suggested Turkey could become a venue for talks if the Taliban were allowed to establish some kind of representation there.
“The idea of Turkey serving as a place where gatherings can take place, where representation can be established in order to facilitate reconstruction and reintegration has been discussed,” Karzai told a joint news conference with his counterparts from Turkey and Pakistan.
“If Turkey can be kind enough to provide such a venue we, the government of Afghanistan, will be happy and pleased to see this facilitation take place.”
Karzai had been asked to comment on an interview with a former Taliban official, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The proposal for the Taliban to be allowed to establish some kind of diplomatic presence in Turkey surfaced in the interview.
President Abdullah Gul of Turkey said he had not seen the report but voiced support in general terms.
“Whatever will serve the future reconstruction of Afghanistan — we will be there,” Gul said.
This was the fifth in a series of the trilateral summits held in Turkey, with the aim of building greater trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Whereas Western government can tend to apply pressure in dealings with the Afghan and Pakistani governments, Turkey is able to operate at a different level diplomatically, being a fellow Muslim country with historically warm ties with both.
Turkey has troops serving in non-combat roles with Nato forces in Afghanistan, and also has well established military-to-military contacts with Pakistan.
The Afghan and Pakistani militaries are cooperating with Nato forces to fight the Taliban and Islamist militants who run with al Qaeda.
But according to some analysts, Afghan and Pakistani intelligence agencies suspect each other of secretly encouraging militant factions to launch attacks to destabilise each other’s governments in the hope of winning greater influence once Western forces leave the region.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari denied that the Pakistan military’s Inter-Services Intelligence was supporting the Taliban, but said there were “non-state actors” who were helping the militants.
“Let me assure you that the ISI is not involved with the Taliban,” Zardari said.
Gul stressed the need for the intelligence services to work together and a statement issued at the end of the summit said the heads of three countrie’s intelligence agencies had met in Istanbul on Dec. 2-3.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Driver killed and two dozen Nato fuel tankers are torched as gunmen launch sixth attack on stranded Afghan convoy
Gunmen killed a driver today and torched more than two dozen stranded tankers carrying fuel from Pakistan to Nato troops in Afghanistan.
It was the sixth attack on convoys since Pakistan closed a key border route almost a week ago after a Nato helicopter attack left three of its troops dead.
Last week's closure of the Torkham crossing along the fabled Khyber Pass has left hundreds of trucks stuck on the country's highways, causing a bottleneck heading to the one route into Afghanistan from the south that has remained open.
An unidentified number of gunmen in two vehicles attacked the trucks as they sat in the parking lot of a roadside hotel on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. The tankers were on their way to the Chaman crossing.
At least 25 were destroyed by fire that spread quickly from vehicle to vehicle.
Of the six attacks on convoys bringing supplies in from the port city of Karachi since the Torkham closure, four were on trucks heading to that crossing and two were travelling to Chaman.
The convoys bring fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing and other non-lethal supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan.
It was unclear who was behind the latest attack, but the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for similar assaults on Nato supplies, including one before dawn on Monday that killed four people.
In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said an investigation into the helicopter attack was expected to be concluded later today and that he believed the row between the allies could be sorted out soon.
Morrell emphasized that the Torkham closing had not caused fuel problems for NATO troops.
He said:'We don't suspect it will, even if this were to last into the future. But we really do have a sense we're making progress and this can be resolved soon.'
Hundreds of supply trucks still cross into landlocked Afghanistan each day through the Chaman crossing in southwestern Pakistan and via Central Asian states.
Pakistan is still the fastest and cheapest way to get goods to Afghanistan, and trouble with other routes in the past makes it even more vital.
Uzbekistan evicted U.S. troops from a base that was used to ferry supplies into Afghanistan, and last year Kyrgyzstan threatened to do the same, though it has since backed down.
The events have exposed the frequent strains in the alliance between Pakistan and the U.S. but Morrell downplayed the possibility of any lasting effects.
He said:'There are incidents which create misunderstandings, there are setbacks, but that does not mean the relationship - this crucial relationship to us - is in any way derailed.'
In addition to ensuring safe passage for NATO supplies, the U.S. needs Pakistan to help target Taliban and al Qaeda militants who stage cross-border attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan.
In return, Pakistan receives billions of dollars in military and civilian assistance that help keep its economy afloat.
Even if the border is reopened, underlying tensions will remain in the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, especially over Pakistan's unwillingness to go after Afghan Taliban militants on its territory with whom it has strong historical ties and who generally focus their attacks on Western troops, not Pakistani targets.
The Pakistani military says it is too busy fighting militants at war with the state to expand its list of targets.
Meanwhile, a bomb exploded inside a home in the northwestern town of Bannu on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding two others. Bannu is near the North Waziristan tribal region, home to a range of Taliban and al Qaeda militants.
It was the sixth attack on convoys since Pakistan closed a key border route almost a week ago after a Nato helicopter attack left three of its troops dead.
Last week's closure of the Torkham crossing along the fabled Khyber Pass has left hundreds of trucks stuck on the country's highways, causing a bottleneck heading to the one route into Afghanistan from the south that has remained open.
An unidentified number of gunmen in two vehicles attacked the trucks as they sat in the parking lot of a roadside hotel on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. The tankers were on their way to the Chaman crossing.
At least 25 were destroyed by fire that spread quickly from vehicle to vehicle.
Of the six attacks on convoys bringing supplies in from the port city of Karachi since the Torkham closure, four were on trucks heading to that crossing and two were travelling to Chaman.
The convoys bring fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing and other non-lethal supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan.
It was unclear who was behind the latest attack, but the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for similar assaults on Nato supplies, including one before dawn on Monday that killed four people.
In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said an investigation into the helicopter attack was expected to be concluded later today and that he believed the row between the allies could be sorted out soon.
Morrell emphasized that the Torkham closing had not caused fuel problems for NATO troops.
He said:'We don't suspect it will, even if this were to last into the future. But we really do have a sense we're making progress and this can be resolved soon.'
Hundreds of supply trucks still cross into landlocked Afghanistan each day through the Chaman crossing in southwestern Pakistan and via Central Asian states.
Pakistan is still the fastest and cheapest way to get goods to Afghanistan, and trouble with other routes in the past makes it even more vital.
Uzbekistan evicted U.S. troops from a base that was used to ferry supplies into Afghanistan, and last year Kyrgyzstan threatened to do the same, though it has since backed down.
The events have exposed the frequent strains in the alliance between Pakistan and the U.S. but Morrell downplayed the possibility of any lasting effects.
He said:'There are incidents which create misunderstandings, there are setbacks, but that does not mean the relationship - this crucial relationship to us - is in any way derailed.'
In addition to ensuring safe passage for NATO supplies, the U.S. needs Pakistan to help target Taliban and al Qaeda militants who stage cross-border attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan.
In return, Pakistan receives billions of dollars in military and civilian assistance that help keep its economy afloat.
Even if the border is reopened, underlying tensions will remain in the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, especially over Pakistan's unwillingness to go after Afghan Taliban militants on its territory with whom it has strong historical ties and who generally focus their attacks on Western troops, not Pakistani targets.
The Pakistani military says it is too busy fighting militants at war with the state to expand its list of targets.
Meanwhile, a bomb exploded inside a home in the northwestern town of Bannu on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding two others. Bannu is near the North Waziristan tribal region, home to a range of Taliban and al Qaeda militants.
Taliban in 'secret talks' with Karzai's government to end the war in Afghanistan
The Taliban and President Hamid Karzai's government have started secret peace negotiations to end to the war in Afghanistan, the Washington Post has reported.
The newspaper quoted unnamed Afghan and Arab sources who believe the Taliban representatives are authorised to speak for the Pakistan-based Quetta Shura and its leader, Mohammad Omar.
Talks are only in the preliminary stages, according to the Post following inconclusive meetings hosted by Saudi Arabia that ended more than a year ago.
President Karzai's spokesman Waheed Omer declined to confirm or deny the report.
Speaking in Kabul, he said: 'There were contacts in the past and may now be direct or indirect ones. There have been regular contacts over the past two years.There haven't been any substantive talks, there have been contacts only.'
Fighting has dragged on for nine years since U.S. forces led an invasion in 2001 to topple the Taliban regime who harboured the al Qaeda network responsible for the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers.
'They (the Taliban) are very, very serious about finding a way out,' one source close to the talks said.
Omar's representatives have insisted in the past that negotiations were impossible until foreign troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
But the Post said the Quetta Shura has begun to discuss a deal that would include participation of some Taliban figures in the Karzai government and the withdrawal of U.S. and Nato troops on an agreed timeline.
The Quetta Shura is the remains of the Afghan Taliban government overthrown and driven into Pakistan by the invasion.
The talks did not involve the Haqqani network, based mainly in Pakistan's North Waziristan, which has been the target of U.S. drone attacks.
Earlier this week, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said a broad Taliban shift toward reconciliation with the Afghan government was unlikely for now.
He said: 'I think it is too soon to suggest that there is.a wider movement afoot, that the tide is turning in terms of re-integration and reconciliation.'
President Karzai launched an effort this year to reach out to elements of the Taliban that might be willing to deal with the government, renounce violence and accept the new constitution.
He has formed a 70-member peace council in recent weeks to work toward negotiations.
General David Petraeus, the head of U.S. and the Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, has acknowledged contacts between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
But he added it was premature to say whether those Taliban were willing to accept Karzai's terms for pursuing reconciliation.
Last week, a former senior UN official spoke of his concern that the Taliban has infiltrated the Afghan police and army.
Former executive director of the UN's Office of Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan, Antonio Maria Costa said Taliban sleeper cells had been set up inside the security forces.
According to Dr Costa the Taliban have already carried out a number of attacks and have scheduled further hits on Nato-led troops.
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The newspaper quoted unnamed Afghan and Arab sources who believe the Taliban representatives are authorised to speak for the Pakistan-based Quetta Shura and its leader, Mohammad Omar.
Talks are only in the preliminary stages, according to the Post following inconclusive meetings hosted by Saudi Arabia that ended more than a year ago.
President Karzai's spokesman Waheed Omer declined to confirm or deny the report.
Peace overture: President Hamid Karzai
Training: An Afghan serviceman is taken through a replica village alongside a British soldier
Speaking in Kabul, he said: 'There were contacts in the past and may now be direct or indirect ones. There have been regular contacts over the past two years.There haven't been any substantive talks, there have been contacts only.'
Fighting has dragged on for nine years since U.S. forces led an invasion in 2001 to topple the Taliban regime who harboured the al Qaeda network responsible for the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers.
'They (the Taliban) are very, very serious about finding a way out,' one source close to the talks said.
Omar's representatives have insisted in the past that negotiations were impossible until foreign troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
But the Post said the Quetta Shura has begun to discuss a deal that would include participation of some Taliban figures in the Karzai government and the withdrawal of U.S. and Nato troops on an agreed timeline.
The Quetta Shura is the remains of the Afghan Taliban government overthrown and driven into Pakistan by the invasion.
The talks did not involve the Haqqani network, based mainly in Pakistan's North Waziristan, which has been the target of U.S. drone attacks.
Earlier this week, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said a broad Taliban shift toward reconciliation with the Afghan government was unlikely for now.
He said: 'I think it is too soon to suggest that there is.a wider movement afoot, that the tide is turning in terms of re-integration and reconciliation.'
President Karzai launched an effort this year to reach out to elements of the Taliban that might be willing to deal with the government, renounce violence and accept the new constitution.
He has formed a 70-member peace council in recent weeks to work toward negotiations.
General David Petraeus, the head of U.S. and the Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, has acknowledged contacts between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
But he added it was premature to say whether those Taliban were willing to accept Karzai's terms for pursuing reconciliation.
Last week, a former senior UN official spoke of his concern that the Taliban has infiltrated the Afghan police and army.
Former executive director of the UN's Office of Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan, Antonio Maria Costa said Taliban sleeper cells had been set up inside the security forces.
According to Dr Costa the Taliban have already carried out a number of attacks and have scheduled further hits on Nato-led troops.
Confiscated: Afghan police officers stand near weapons collected after private security firms in Kabul were disbanded
Under guard: A militant is taken away by Afghan security forces which are feared to have been infiltrated by the Taliban
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