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Afghan Taliban call on US to send fact-finding team
[Pak Daily Times] The Taliban called on the US Congress on Sunday to send a "fact-finding mission" to Afghanistan to investigate what they called the lies and propaganda spread by American military chiefs to prolong the war. The statement, addressed to "Messers American Congressmen," was emailed to AFP and signed by Qari Mohammad Yousuf Ahmadi, "spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan". It suggested that the US Congressional team travel throughout Afghanistan to uncover "ground realities" it said are being concealed by military leaders eager to give the impression of victory. The resistance to the US-led war against the Taliban was indigenous, the group said, contrary to claims by Washington it was influenced from outside the country. The Taliban occasionally issue such statements, which are generally dismissed by Washington and its partners backing the Kabul government. "Can a few militants stand up to armed forces of 40 countries including the strongest countries of the world," Sunday's statement said, referring to the US-NATO alliance. "In fact the current armed jihad is a country-wide resistance against you. Men and women, old and young from every tribe, ethnicity, caste and area have arisen to oppose you". "Thus by your intending to wipe out the resistance, you have chosen the way of committing genocide of the whole nation," it said. The Taliban said that if the US government would not provide proof of its claims, "then how about another experiment? Send a team to Afghanistan on a fact-finding mission." "The team should have freedom of movement and should be allowed to remain far from the clutches of your intelligence agencies," it said, adding that US military leaders were unlikely to allow the team to do so. The statement accused US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, commander of foreign troops in Afghanistan US General David Petraeus, and other "military brass" of exaggerating battlefield successes to appear victorious and for financial gain. For nine years "Afghans have been festering in the vortex of an imposed war... The apparition of mass murder, imprisonment, night house raids and plundering which has become the order of the day constantly haunts them," the statement said. Posted by: Fred 2010-11-08 |
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