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Taliban reject renewed call for peace by Karzai
The Taliban have repeatedly turned down Karzai’s peace proposals, saying foreign troops should leave Afghanistan first, but some tentative “talks about talks” have taken place. “Karzai is a puppet he cannot represent a nation or a government,” said Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf, commenting on Karzai’s call for the Taliban to work for peace and reconstruction.
“He is bogged down in corruption and is surrounded by warlords who are making themselves rich.” The Taliban, who have made a steady comeback since being ousted after a 2001 US-led invasion, are under pressure.
Fighting rages on
Three senior Taliban officials were captured in Pakistan this month, including the group’s number 2 and top military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar -- the highest profile Taliban leader to be grabbed.
NATO is pushing ahead with one of its largest assaults in Afghanistan since the start of the war, aimed at driving the Taliban from their last big stronghold in the country’s most violent province to make way for Afghan authorities to take over.
Taliban fighters remain defiant, digging in for a fight to the death against an assault that tests US President Barack Obama’s strategy of sending 30,000 more troops to seize insurgent-held areas before a planned 2011 troop drawdown begins.
“In Marjah, determined resistance is again reported in some areas. The Regional Command-South commander believes the clearing phase is progressing well and will take at least 30 days to complete,” said the International Security Assistance Force. The resilience of the Taliban has raised questions about how long Western countries can afford to stick it out in Afghanistan.
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