The Taliban said on Wednesday, in a rare statement to the American people, they wanted to end Afghanistan’s 17-year war through talks, while warning the message should not be seen as a sign of weakness and the fight against US forces would go on.
A more aggressive US strategy in Afghanistan including a surge in air strikes introduced by President Donald Trump in August has pushed the Taliban back from several district centers and two provincial capitals.
But the militants control large parts of the countryside and have responded to the more aggressive US strategy with two attacks in Kabul in the past few weeks, killing nearly 150 people.
The attacks have toughened both the US and Afghan governments’ stand against initiating talks with the insurgents, although neither side seems capable of winning the conflict.
“Our preference is to solve the Afghan issue through peaceful dialogue,” the Taliban said.
The Taliban, fighting to oust foreign forces and defeat the US-backed government, said the United States must end its “occupation” and accept the Taliban right to form a government “consistent with the beliefs of our people”.
In their statement, the Taliban did not mention a January 27 raid on a top Kabul hotel, in which more than 30 people were killed, nor a bomb attack on a crowded street a week later that killed more than 100. They claimed both attacks.
The militants only mentioned the Afghan government to deride it on various grounds. A government spokesman declined to comment on the statement.

Afghan Taliban say they want to end war through dialogue

The Taliban said it was not too late for the American people to realize the Taliban can solve problems with every side “through healthy politics and dialogue”. (File photo: AP)
Reuters, Kabul
Thursday 15 February 2018
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:56 - GMT 06:56
DAY | WEEK |
-
16152 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
2562 Views Coronavirus: Police detain 100 in Amsterdam after protest over lockdown, curfew
-
1831 Views Israel talks tough on Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas: Our response to be extreme in next war
-
1283 Views US Senate Republicans unite behind failed efforts to halt Trump impeachment trial
-
660 Views German court blocks return of two refugees to Greece, citing risks facing them
-
399 Views Grazing cows lead to squabble on Lebanese-Israeli border
-
24127 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
19804 Views Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown Prince
-
16152 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
10172 Views The American University of Beirut’s battle for survival
-
8889 Views Full moon to align directly above Kaaba in Mecca on Jan. 28
-
8484 Views Coronavirus: Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners
SHOW MORE