Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Taliban Leader Soften Stance in Peace Talks

Taliban  Leader Soften Stance  in Peace Talks

KABUL - A top Taliban leader, who served as finance minister in Mullah Omar's regime, Mutasim Agha Jan, said that the insurgent group is ready to negotiate a peace deal with the Afghan government.

Speaking exclusively to TOLOnews in the Turkish capital, Ankara, Mr Agha Jan said that Afghanistan will succeed in its peace mission and the Taliban is ready to negotiate if the involved parties are honest in their commitments.

Mr Agha Jan said that the Taliban is not looking at a return of an "Islamic Emirate" in Afghanistan, adding that any government system should be formed on the basis of public votes.

"If all the involved parties honestly and with sincerity put in efforts over peace negotiation, I think, Afghanistan will soon succeed in its peace mission," Mutasim Agha Jan told TOLOnews at his residence in Ankara.

According to Mutasim, the Taliban are mainly divided into two groups: the 'hardliners' and the 'moderate' ones. The moderate group is already on board for peace talks, he said.

He called the Taliban representatives in Qatar as hardliners, who cite stricter terms and conditions when it comes to peace talks.

Responding to a question whether suicide attacks are allowed under Islam, he said the Taliban can make sacrifices to safeguard their interests.

But he added that killing civilians is unfair as well as calling the Afghan security forces "infidels".

The Afghan government has been pushing hard to get the Taliban negotiate a peace deal before the end of 2014, but the Taliban has consistently refused to talk with the Karzai regime, referring to it as a 'puppet government'.

The opening of a Taliban office is seen as a major step in formulating a channel for talks between Kabul and the Taliban; at a time when the foreign troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. (Tolo news)