Top Taliban leader pitches for good diplomatic ties with the US

Kabul, July 6 (EFE).- Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme commander of the Taliban, on Wednesday made a push for “good diplomatic” relations with the United States and the rest of the world within the context of reciprocal trust and understanding.

“We want good diplomatic, economic, and political relations with the world, including the United States, and we consider this in the interest of all sides,” Akhundzada said in a written statement.

The Taliban released the statement of its reclusive leader to the media ahead of Eid al-Adha or the “Feast of Sacrifice,” which will be observed this weekend around the Muslim world.

The Taliban has been calling on the international community to recognize the government of the extremist militant group that swept to power in August last year after the withdrawal of the US-led international forces.

However, the international community has criticized and not officially recognized the de facto Afghan government because of curbs against women, like not allowing women to work and girls to go to school beyond sixth grade.

The Taliban declared they would be more tolerant than they had been during their previous rule over Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001.

Tens of thousands of women were nonetheless made to quit their jobs by the Taliban, who also forbade females from leaving the country or traveling within cities unless a male relative accompanied them.

Except for a brief appearance in the southern city of Kandahar in October of last year, Akhundzada has not been spotted in public since the Taliban seized control of the nation on August 5.

The Taliban leader, also known as “Amir ul Momineen” or the commander of the faithful, declared that his government would not permit anybody to use Afghanistan to conduct subversive actions against any nations in the region or throughout the world.

“We assure our neighbors, the region, and the world that we will not allow anyone to use our territory to threaten the security of other countries,” said the reclusive leader.

“We also want other countries not to interfere in our internal affairs.”

Akhundzada’s Eid message came days after the Taliban supreme leader’s tirade against the international community, in which he claimed that the world did not want Afghanistan to be independent.

“We will not take orders from the world on how to interact even if the atom bomb is used on Afghanistan,” he said.

Akhundzada wished the people of the war-torn nation a happy Eid and said that after 20 years of suffering as a result of the US invasion, Afghanistan was free and the Afghans were living in peace.

“Our country has been completely freed, the Islamic government has been established, and the entire nation is living in peace and brotherhood,” he said. EFE

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