WASHINGTON – The US Department of State has said that the Taliban’s openletter to the American people does not reflect the group’s intention towork for peace.
US State Department spokesperson said that Taliban attacks in recent weeksare a clear sign of the group’s barbarism and atrocities and that theletter does not show the group’s willingness for peace.
In addition, NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has said that peacewithout the cooperation of regional countries such as China, will bedifficult to achieve with the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.
“NATO supports the national unity government in Afghanistan and this is asovereign nation with a sovereign government and we support and encouragethat government also works with partners in the region. Actually we thinkit is impossible to solve the crisis in Afghanistan without closecooperation with other countries in the region and China is one of them,”said the NATO chief.
Meanwhile President Ashraf Ghani has called on the Afghan public to uniteagainst insurgents as they did during the Soviet occupation.
“I must repeat that it was our unity, resilience and our perseverance thatsteered us to victory against the red army and what followed after. And itwill be our unity and determination that will drive us toward creating asafe and modern nation based on a strong respect for our diversity and forthe rule of law,” said Ghani.
NATO officials say that the Taliban has no intention of joining the peaceprocess.
Meanwhile, US generals in Afghanistan have expressed confidence that withthe increased air and ground strikes on the Taliban which also makes up acore component of President Donald Trump’s war strategy will break themilitary stalemate against the Taliban and that this will eventually forcethe Taliban to come to the negotiation table.
“The enemy has suffered major casualties, they have lost the capacity forface to face war, enemy’s activities in the battlefield have decreased 50to 60 percent” said Afghan defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri.
On Wednesday, the Taliban published an open letter to the American people,calling on them to demand an end to the conflict in Afghanistan and toreject “the inexperienced policies of president Trump and his war-mongeringadvisors”.
The letter comes after the US increased air strikes on Taliban and Daeshstrongholds in multiple regions across Afghanistan – inflicting a heavytoll against the militants.
In January, US President Donald Trump rejected the idea of talks with theTaliban after a series of deadly attacks in Afghanistan, in an apparentcontradiction of his own strategy to end America’s longest foreign war.
“I don’t think we’re prepared to talk right now. It’s a whole differentfight over there. They’re killing people left and right. Innocent peopleare being killed left and right,” said Trump.