PLAN TO "BUY OFF" TALIBAN AT CORE OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 19/7/10
NEW MUSIC COLLEGE INAUGURATED IN AFGHANISTAN 5/7/10
MARCH 8 FOR AFGHAN WOMEN 8/3/10
USAID REJECTS NGO CONERNS OVER AID MILITARIZATION 2/12/09
U.S. TO TIGHTEN CONTROL OF AFG CONTRACTS 22/11/09
IOM HELPS THOUSANDS RETURNEES AND IDPs 13/9/09
BUSH TO ANNUNCE TROOP RESHUFFLE (Bbc) 9/9/08
MILIONS OF AFGHAN CHILDREN FORCED TO WORK 22/7/09
UN URGES MORE FUNDS FOR NGOs 21/7/09
UN REPORTS RECORD HUMANITARIAN AID SHORTFALL 21/7/09
G8: DALL'IRAN ALLA PIRATERIA, IN 6 PUNTI LA DICHIARAZIONE DEI MINISTRI 26/6/09
WB APPROVES NEW AID STRATEGY 9/6/09
4000 DISPLACED DUE TO HEAVY FLOODING 25/5/09
MORE THAN 100 COMPLAINTS AGAINST AFGHAN CANDIDATES 20/5/09
GROWING NUMBER OF AFGHANS LACK HEALTH CARE 7/4/09
|
|
NO ROLE FOR TALIBAN CHIEF IN AFGHAN TALKS-PENTAGON (Reuters) 29/10/08
Mercoledi' 29 Ottobre 2008
No role for Taliban chief in Afghan talks-Pentagon
29 Oct 2008 17:56:43 GMT
WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Taliban leader Mullah Omar should not be involved in Afghan reconciliation efforts despite a renewed interest in talks with members of the Islamist movement, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
"We as a government do not believe that Mullah Omar is somebody you reconcile with," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.
"Mullah Omar has the blood of thousands of Americans on his hands, based upon the support that he provided Osama bin Laden," Morrell told reporters.
His comments contrasted with an appeal by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who called last month on Mullah Omar to come home and work for peace. Omar is believed to be in hiding in the mountainous areas straddling the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Insurgent violence has risen this year in Afghanistan to its highest level since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban from power in 2001 for harboring al Qaeda leaders responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
Faced with the rise in violence, both the Afghan government and Western nations have showed a renewed interest in coming to terms with elements of the Taliban and other insurgent groups.
"You can't kill them all," Morrell said.
"You have to figure out a way to embrace those who are willing, ultimately, to work with the central government, lay down their arms -- at least stop pointing them at the government and at us -- and work in a constructive manner for the good of all the Afghan people," he said.
"This has been going on for some time, albeit, I will acknowledge this, clearly with a renewed emphasis lately by the Afghan government that we are working to support."
The United States has some 32,000 troops in Afghanistan, About 13,000 of them operate in a NATO-led force of some 50,000 troops charged with helping to stabilize the country. (Reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Eric Beech)
|
|
