ID :
183853
Mon, 05/23/2011 - 14:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/183853
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Head of Afghan Reporters' Union Blasts US Talks with Taliban
TEHRAN (FNA)- Head of Afghan Reporters' Union Abdulhamid Mobarez denounced Washington's decision on negotiation with the Taliban insurgents, and described the move an as an attempt by US President Barack Obama to promote his election campaign.
"(During the 2008 election campaign) Barack Obama had promised the Americans a withdrawal of his troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, but now on the threshold of the upcoming presidential election, he has resorted to such measures" Mobarez told FNA on Monday.
He also described the US pledge for the pullout of its forces from Afghanistan in 2014 as another measure taken by Obama to win the Americans' vote in the upcoming election.
Noting that the US officials had in the past set such preconditions for holding negotiations with the Taliban as defection of the group from the al-Qaeda terrorist group, Mobarez said that they are now talking about holding negotiations with the Taliban to deceive the public opinion in the US and gain its benefit in the presidential campaign.
Earlier German daily Spiegel had reported that US President Barack Obama's administration had been engaged in direct talks with senior Afghan Taliban officials responsible for leading the fight against Kabul.
Three direct meetings have so far taken place. The first was held in Qatar and the second at the turn of the year in Germany, Spiegel said.
During the talks, the US side was represented by State Department and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials, while the Afghan side was led by a relative of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, the magazine added.
But the future of the US-Taliban talks went rather gloomy after senior Afghan officials announced on Monday that Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had been killed in Pakistan.
"Mullah Mohammad Omar has been killed and his body is under postmortem studies at the coroners' office," a senior Afghan official told FNA this morning on the condition of anonymity.
The Afghan official said that the Taliban leader has been killed in Pakistan's Quetta city.
The source further pointed out that senior Taliban leaders had failed to establish a contact with Mullah Mohammad Omar since al-Qaeda Leader Osama bin Laden was allegedly killed in his compound near Islamabad almost two weeks ago.
Afghan and Pakistani local media and TV networks also confirmed the report.
"Mullah Omar was killed on his way from Quetta to North Waziristan," TOLO television said in its news bulletin.
"(During the 2008 election campaign) Barack Obama had promised the Americans a withdrawal of his troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, but now on the threshold of the upcoming presidential election, he has resorted to such measures" Mobarez told FNA on Monday.
He also described the US pledge for the pullout of its forces from Afghanistan in 2014 as another measure taken by Obama to win the Americans' vote in the upcoming election.
Noting that the US officials had in the past set such preconditions for holding negotiations with the Taliban as defection of the group from the al-Qaeda terrorist group, Mobarez said that they are now talking about holding negotiations with the Taliban to deceive the public opinion in the US and gain its benefit in the presidential campaign.
Earlier German daily Spiegel had reported that US President Barack Obama's administration had been engaged in direct talks with senior Afghan Taliban officials responsible for leading the fight against Kabul.
Three direct meetings have so far taken place. The first was held in Qatar and the second at the turn of the year in Germany, Spiegel said.
During the talks, the US side was represented by State Department and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials, while the Afghan side was led by a relative of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, the magazine added.
But the future of the US-Taliban talks went rather gloomy after senior Afghan officials announced on Monday that Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had been killed in Pakistan.
"Mullah Mohammad Omar has been killed and his body is under postmortem studies at the coroners' office," a senior Afghan official told FNA this morning on the condition of anonymity.
The Afghan official said that the Taliban leader has been killed in Pakistan's Quetta city.
The source further pointed out that senior Taliban leaders had failed to establish a contact with Mullah Mohammad Omar since al-Qaeda Leader Osama bin Laden was allegedly killed in his compound near Islamabad almost two weeks ago.
Afghan and Pakistani local media and TV networks also confirmed the report.
"Mullah Omar was killed on his way from Quetta to North Waziristan," TOLO television said in its news bulletin.
