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Taliban Publish Open Letter Calling on U.S. to Start Afghan Peace Talks
The Taliban have published an open letter expressing a desire for peace talks and calling on the “American people” and “peace-loving congressmen” to press their government to withdraw from Afghanistan.
The letter assailed U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy announced last August that called for military force to bring a more compliant Taliban to the negotiation table.
“If the policy of using force is continued for another one hundred years,” the letter reads, “the outcome will be the same … as you have observed over the last six months since the initiation of Trump’s new strategy.”
The letter promised a more inclusive regime, education and rights for all, including women. However, it seemed to rule out power-sharing, saying they had the right to form a government.
“Our preference is to solve the Afghan issue through peaceful dialogue,” the letter said. “America must end her occupation and must accept all our legitimate rights, including the right to form a government consistent with the beliefs of our people.”
In the letter, the Taliban railed against widespread corruption in the government and a burgeoning narcotics industry, from which officials say the insurgents make millions of dollars in taxes and tolls, charging those dealing in the drugs to move their illicit cargo to market. Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer of opium, the raw material used to make heroin.
The Trump administration has sent mixed messages about its readiness to have contact with the Taliban, but it has insisted that all substantive negotiations would have to be led by the Afghan government.
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More than 800 Afghan refugees deported from Pakistan in two days
As many as 837 Afghan refugees have been forced to return to their country through Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings in the last two days, officials announced on Saturday.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said in a statement that 90 families comprising 468 people returned through Torkham crossing.
Another 67 families comprising 369 people returned through Spin Boldak crossing, it said.
The returnees have been introduced to international organizations to receive aid, and the Islamic Emirate has also paid 10,000 Afghanis to each family.
Pakistani government launched the second phase of deporting illegal refugees five days ago.
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Iran executes four Afghan prisoners
Iran executed four Afghan prisoners in Vakliabad Prison in Mashhad on Thursday morning, a human rights group reported.
Haalvsh said that the individuals had been arrested in 1398 over drug-related charges and then sentenced to death by the court.
This organization announced the names of the executed prisoners as Zaman Taheri, Salam Taheri, Gholam Qadir Samani and Ebrahim Noorzahi.
Zaman Taheri and Salam Taheri were brothers.
Iranian officials have not commented about the matter so far.
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Roof collapse kills two in Helmand
Two people were killed after roof of their house collapsed in southern Helmand province on Friday night, officials said.
Abdul Bari Rashid, head of information and culture in Helmand, told Ariana News that the incident occurred in Tajkan village of Gershak district due to heavy rain.
According to him, the dead include a woman and a child. A man was injured in the incident.
This comes as 10 people have died and six others have been injured as a result of the floods in Helmand province in the last one week.
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