Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will not happen, Abdullah

MONITORING (SW) – Abdullah Abdullah, chairman High Council for National Reconciliation, has said a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will not happen.

In an interview with Washington Post, he said the Taliban has not been serious in their negotiations for peace. “Perhaps there are groups among the Taliban that think a military takeover may be possible. They haven’t said it explicitly, but that’s their attitude. They have not fulfilled their commitment about reducing violence nor de-linking with al-Qaeda”, he said.



He said the Taliban talk about an Islamic system without giving any details. “When it comes to principles like liberty, women’s rights, human rights — they say that as long as they are in accordance with Islamic law, okay, but they refrain from giving their definition of Islamic law. If they want to impose a military solution, the history of Afghanistan has shown that that will only lead to the continuation of the war”, he added.



The HCNR chief said the Taliban may try to invade if they opt for a military solution, which would be a big miscalculation. “But, that will lead to the continuation of war, not to a Taliban takeover. Hopefully that will not be the scenario. We shouldn’t give up on the talks. The whole international community, including the U.S. and other countries, are trying to find ways to support the talks”, said Abdullah.

ENDS

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