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Mullah Omar Hails 'Big Victory'
[An Nahar] Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar hailed Sunday the prisoner swap as a "big victory.""I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Mohammedan nation, all the mujahideen and to the families and relatives of the prisoners for this big victory regarding the release of five Taliban leaders from Guantanamo prison," he said in a rare statement. "I thank the government of Qatar, especially its emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad (al-Thani), who made sincere efforts for release of these leaders and for their mediation and for hosting them," he added. Mullah Omar ... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality... was Afghanistan's de facto head of state during their 1996-2001 rule over Afghanistan. He has continued to lead the group's insurgency since they were ousted from power. His current whereabouts are unconfirmed but some observers believe he is hiding inside Pakistain. The five transferred Taliban detainees have been named by the U.S. State Department as Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Abdul Haq Wasiq. A Taliban source in the Pak city of Quetta told Agence La Belle France Presse that the five had been officials in the Taliban regime driven out by the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, and that they remained influential. Later on Sunday, the United States defended its decision on the prisoner swap. Republican politicians have sharply criticized the move, saying it sets a bad precedent and endangers U.S. soldiers still in Afghanistan. Posted by: Fred 2014-06-02 |
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