'Taliban chief never sought talks with Obama'

The Afghan Taliban have refuted claims that reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar had written a letter to United States President Barack Obama last year, expressing an interest in holding talks.

According to the Afghan Taliban, the claims made by some US officials is merely a ploy to divert people's attention from their "powerful position", which they have attained after fighting an almost ten-year-old "successful war".

Some American officials had claimed that an unsigned letter was passed on via a Taliban intermediary in July from Mullah Omer to Obama. The letter represented views consistent with what Taliban emissaries had been telling US officials.

Responding to an email from rediff.com, Mullah Omer's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the claims are baseless.

He claimed that US officials wanted to divert attention from the "strong position of the Taliban, who have become almost invincible after fighting a ten-year-old war against the superpower".

"The report, which said that Mullah Omer has written a letter to the White House seeking talks over peace, prisoners' release and many other issues, is baseless. The Americans are trying to create uncertainty with these rumours," Zabihullah Mujahid said.

He further added, "The Afghan Taliban will never ask someone to come forward for the peace process. We had and still have a strong belief in Allah while fighting a ten-year-old jihad. We will never surrender to our enemy and we will reply to the enemy the way our rivals do."

According to Zabihullah, the US should acknowledge the "power of the Taliban, which is so strong that the western powers now want to engage them in some sort of peace talks".

"The Americans should acknowledge the real position of the Afghan Taliban instead of creating rumors. Instead of creating rumors, the occupied forces should leave Afghanistan. That will be better for its own citizens and it will also ease the burden on their shoulders," Zabihullah said.

"Subjugating the Taliban will remain an unfulfilled dream for the US. During the ten-year war, the Taliban stood like a solid rock in front of them," he added.

Zabihullah also advised the US to desist from making such "baseless allegations".

"The Americans cannot get anything from such rumours but this will affect their image globally. Everyone knows the determination that Mullah Omer has shown during the ten-year jihad," he said.