‘Winning’ Taliban ‘contemptuously’ rule out negotiations with NATO

KABUL - The Afghan Taliban has denied the prospect of entering into any negotiations with the NATO forces.

It comes after British Army Chief Gen David Richards and US commanders suggested that it might be useful to talk to the Taliban.

“We do not want to talk to anyone - not to [Afghanistan President Hamid] Karzai, nor to any foreigners - till the foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan,” BBC quoted Zabiullah Mujahedd, Taliban spokesman, as saying.

“We are certain that we are winning. Why should we talk if we have the upper hand, and the foreign troops are considering withdrawal, and there are differences in the ranks of our enemies?” he added.

Earlier, backing the proposals of negotiating with the Taliban to bring the nine year long ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan to its logical conclusion, General Richards had said that talks with the insurgents should begin ’sooner than later’.

“In every counter-insurgency campaign, there was always a point which you start to negotiate with each other. I think there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be looking at that sort of thing (talking to the Taliban) pretty soon,” General Richards said.

He had also underlined that history suggests that there always have been negotiations between two sides at some point of conflict.

“If you look at any counter-insurgency campaign throughout history there’s always a point at which you start to negotiate with each other, probably through proxies in the first instance, and I don’t know when that will happen,” General Richards said.

“From my own, and this is a purely private view, I think there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be looking at that sort of thing pretty soon,” he added.

His statement had come after British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he wanted his troops to be out of the war tattered country within five years. (ANI)