The Afghan Taliban’s acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, recently stated that the Taliban leadership desired “positive relations” with the US and the rest of the world.
During an interview with CNN, the Taliban leader made these remarks. In response to a question on whether the Afghan government considered the US to be an enemy, he stated that the Taliban did not consider the US to be a “enemy” and that they were dedicated to the Doha Agreement.
“Let me clarify something for you. The last two decades have been characterised by defensive combat and warfare. We chose not to discuss this when the agreement was reached in Doha. We’d like to have good future prospects.
Kabul sought ties with the US based on principles and diplomatic standards, according to the Taliban minister, who is wanted by the US government for a $10 million bounty, adding that “based on their [US] behaviour, the Afghans had misgivings about their intentions.”
[embedpost slug=”talibans-first-annual-afghan-budget-foresees-501-million-deficit/”]
In the wake of an uptick in terror strikes in Afghanistan, including cross-border attacks into Pakistan, Haqqani reaffirmed that Afghan soil will not be used to threaten anyone. He acknowledged that the Taliban regime had “internal threats.”
However, he noted that “certain” elements were exaggerating the threats, portraying them as a source of concern for the Afghan people and the international world.
“There may be threats to the rest of the world coordinated by a government,” Haqqani stated, “but we would like to reassure the rest of the world that our country would not be used as a threat to anyone.”
When asked about females’ education in Afghanistan, the Taliban leader said that no one in the country “opposes education for women.” He went on to say that positive news about females’ education would be coming shortly, and that a mechanism is being built in this regard.
“We all think that education was created as a gift from God and that it is vital for both men and women. “As I previously stated, there is no one who is opposed to education,” he remarked.
