Rejecting the claim of General David Petraeus, commander of the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces, that thousands of Afghan Taliban have either 'laid down' their arms or are moving towards doing so, the Mullah Omer-led Taliban vowed to continue their war until the establishment of an Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.
Talking to rediff.com from an undisclosed location, Mullah Omer's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, "The Taliban or any of its affiliated groups have not surrendered, and they are not laying down their arms either. That is just wishful thinking on Petraeus' part. The Taliban Shura (supreme council) has ruled out any possibility of talks with the United States or the Hamid Karzai government. We are not ready for any kind of negotiation. We believe in bullets and war, which are the best way to talk with the invaders."
Addressing the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based Defence think-tank on Wednesday, General Petraeus, the had said, "There are some 700 or so individuals, former Taliban, who have officially gone through all the steps of the process of reintegration into society."
In response, Mujahid said, "We are fighting since the last nine years, and during this period, a number of our fighters sacrificed their lives. We did not stop fighting. How it is possible to surrender now and to integrate into the Afghan society as common people? We will fight until an Islamic Emirate is established."
"It is ridiculous; if they have any proof if the Taliban have surrendered, they should bring the evidence before the media," he added.
Answering a query about the Karzai government links with high-ranking Taliban fighters, Mujahid said, "No one is in contact with the Taliban, as the Taliban does not want any talks at this moment. The recent debacle involving the US and Afghan officials talking to a fake Taliban negotiator are enough for them to stay away from any such attempt."
Like many experts, Petraeus is also of the view that providing jobs to Taliban could make them lay down their arms. "Allah is the best provider of sustenance. How could Karzai and Americans provide employment to the Taliban when they are unable to entertain their Afghan supporters with jobs? Many Afghanis who welcomed the Karzai government in the early stages don't even have food to eat today," Mujahid said.
"One should not rely on worldly things but on Allah. The best example is that of the Afghan Taliban who have been fighting with limited resources with a world superpower for the last nine years, and the well-equipped forces are on the run."
