KABUL — The Taliban said Saturday they would not participate in international peace talks, citing what they claimed were increased US airstrikes and Afghan government military operations.
The talks, convened by the United States, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, were expected to start this month in Pakistan. Taliban envoys were expected to join the discussions after being pressured by the Pakistani government, which provides the insurgents with sanctuaries inside its territory.
Afghan and Pakistani government officials said the talks would continue despite the Taliban statement but pushed the start date back to sometime later this month.
In a statement posted on the insurgents’ website, the Taliban denied that a representative would attend the talks. “We reject all such rumors and unequivocally state that the esteemed leader of Islamic Emirate has not authorized anyone to participate in this meeting,” read the statement, posted in English.
Previous talks have taken place without Taliban representatives present, but Afghan and Pakistani officials had expressed confidence that direct talks between the Afghan government and the militants would resume this month, and they maintained that position Saturday.
“This is just public bargaining on the part of the Taliban,” said an official close to President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the subject is a delicate one. “They did it last time, too. They put out a statement of denial, and then they showed up to talks.”
The official said Afghan leaders had received assurances from the powerful Pakistan military leader, General Raheel Sharif, that the talks would go ahead.
Direct talks began last summer in Pakistan, but quickly fell apart after Afghan government officials who opposed such discussions leaked word that the Taliban’s longtime leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had been dead for two years.
The leader who took over, Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, had previously favored participation in the negotiations, citing Omar’s alleged approval. Since Mansour took power, the group has been riven by dissension over the leadership change, and fighting off challenges in some areas from insurgents allied with the Islamic State group.
In their statement, the Taliban said they opposed negotiations because the United States had deployed additional troops and carried out airstrikes and night raids. It also said the government in Kabul had increased military operations during the winter, displacing thousands of civilians as a result.
While there are no confirmed reports that the United States has increased troop levels in Afghanistan — there are now about 10,000 US service members in the country — the US military is carrying out airstrikes in support of Afghan government operations and secret US Special Operations missions. Both the Taliban and the government have maintained a steady tempo of military operations throughout the winter, normally a time of decreased hostilities. The militants said they had no intention of joining peace talks as long as the country was under what they described as foreign occupation.
A spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, said the four countries sponsoring the talks had recommended that there should be no preconditions. “All four countries are making efforts to bring the Taliban groups to the negotiation table,” he said.
Pakistan has enormous leverage over the Taliban because the group’s leaders enjoy sanctuary in Pakistani territory, and many of their fighters take refuge and receive medical treatment there. Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of failing to push the insurgents to participate in peace talks, but in recent months Pakistani officials there have pledged support for the effort. In addition, China has encouraged the Taliban and Pakistan to join the peace process.
A member of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, Ismail Qasimyar, also expressed optimism that the talks would take place. “Delays in the negotiation process will be temporary and brief, but we will finally witness the actual negotiations take place,” he said.https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2016/03/05/taliban-say-they-won-attend-peace-talks-but-officials-aren-convinced/dqSc1jaoxfIv4VZdAE4lkK/story.html
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