Taliban don’t want fighting inside Afghan cities: Senior leader
July 13, 2021: A senior leader of the group says the Taliban do not want to take part in fighting inside Afghan cities, as thousands of families have fled their homes for fear of living under their rule. “Now that the fighting from the mountains and deserts has reached the gates of the cities, the Mujahideen do not want to fight inside the city,” Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a message released by a Taliban spokesman on Tuesday.
“It is better … to use any possible channel to get in touch with our invitation and guidance commission, reach a logical agreement to prevent their cities from getting damaged,” said Muttaqi, head of a commission that oversees people surrendering to the group.
In a separate statement, the militant group said Turkey’s decision to provide security at Kabul airport when US-led forces leave the country was “reprehensible.” The group said, “The decision … illegal advice has been given, it is a violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity and against our national interests,”
Meanwhile, according to the government’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, more than 5,600 families have been evicted from their homes in the past 15 days, most of them in the northern part of the country. The region is a traditional stronghold of US-affiliated militants and is dominated by ethnic minorities.
According to a report by the Associated Press, the Taliban had signed an agreement with the United States in February 2020 that allegedly prevented militants from seizing provincial capitals. Two of those are still under siege – Kandahar in the south and Badghis in the north. The Afghan Interior Ministry said over the weekend that a rocket defense system had been installed in the capital, Kabul, where many feared a final Taliban attack.
The statement did not elaborate on its origin or value. The United States, Russia, China and even Afghanistan’s neighbor Pakistan have all warned the Taliban against trying to win a military victory, warning that they would become international pariahs. Taliban leaders have said they are not doing so, despite having boasted their recent gains in meetings held in Russia and Iran.
The Taliban accuse the Afghan government of thwarting efforts to thwart stalled talks, which will include talks to include leaders on both sides of the conflict.
Sohail Shaheen, the Taliban’s political spokesman and a member of its negotiating team, told the AP that his party was waiting for a high-level delegation from Kabul to hold talks in Doha on three different occasions. He said the delegation never came. The Kabul delegation was to include former President Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah, head of the National Reconciliation Council, and senior fighters such as Ata Muhammad Noor, one of the most powerful northern commanders.
Afghan officials familiar with the planned meetings confirmed their intention to travel to Doha and attend, but said President Ashraf Ghani has been reluctant, often hampering efforts. He spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
Last week, President Joe Biden urged Afghan leaders to seek unity, saying it was up to Afghans to end decades of war. With 90 percent of the final withdrawal of the United States and NATO completed and its top commander, General Scott Miller, resigning, Washington is nearing the end of its “forever war.”
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