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US envoy says senior Taleban take up amnesty offer
Some senior Taleban members have taken up an amnesty offer made last year by the Afghan government, the US ambassador said on Monday Zalmay Khalilzad declined to give numbers or the names of those he said had abandoned their support for the Islamic insurgency but said he was "very pleased" with the progress. "There has been a positive response," Khalilzad told a news briefing, referring to the amnesty offer. "Quite a number of people associated with the Taleban have taken advantage of it already and are living in their areas -- they've come in. Some senior members have also come in and have agreed to join the reconciliation programme, recognising the legitimacy of the government, recognising the fruitlessness of military resistance." Khalilzad added that some "big news could hopefully be expected in coming days", but declined to elaborate, saying this was a matter for the Afghan government. Government spokesman Jawed Ludin said he could confirm the veracity of Khalilzad's statement but was unable to give details. Interior Ministry officials said they had no information.The governor of a southeastern province said last month that hundreds of Taleban fighters may abandon their insurgency as a result of peace talks under way between local commanders and President Hamid Karzai's government. In return, the tribal chiefs and local officials wanted Khalilzad to urge US forces not to harass Taleban members who quit the insurgency, Paktia governor Assadullah Wafa said. Khalilzad has said in the past that the amnesty was open to all Taleban guerrillas and their allies except those guilty of major crimes. Senior Taleban officials have denied that the guerrillas have held negotiations with either the Afghan or the US governments and have vowed to continue their struggle. Earlier on Monday, another provincial governor told Reuters a senior Taleban commander in his province was captured last week after he was found hiding in a well. Mullah Mohammad Naeem was captured by Afghan forces in the village of Sia Sang in Uruzgan's province on Friday and handed over to US forces, Uruzgan governor Jan Mohammad Khan said. Posted by: Fred 2005-02-15 |
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