Will not cut trade ties with any country, especially the US, says Taliban co-founder

The Taliban, which seems to be on a quest for recognition from the international community, will not snap ties with the world’s most powerful nation –United States of America.

This was announced on Twitter by no less than one of Taliban’s top leaders, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s co-founder and deputy leader.

Affirming that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan intended to forge diplomatic and trade ties with all countries, he said that this statement particularly included USA, said a rediff.com report. The USA had stationed its military forces in Afghanistan for the past twenty years to train the Afghan army and rebuild the war-torn country, after the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001.

But Taliban leader Baradar rebuffed media reports that claimed Taliban does not plan to have diplomatic and trade ties with the US. Calling this news as “rumor”, he told Xinhua News Agency, “We never talk about cut of trade ties with any countries. Rumor about this news has been a propaganda. It is not true.”

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Baradar, who oversaw the signing of the agreement that led to the withdrawal of US forces from the country, is currently in Kabul to discuss the formation of a government with senior Afghan leaders, said media reports, quoting a senior leader of the Taliban.

According to local news agency reports, Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar had said that formal talks will begin between the Taliban and Afghan leaders once the Taliban leaders reach Kabul.

Hekmatyar also said that “recent meetings held between the two sides after Taliban’s entry into Kabul were informal,” said an agency report.

Since the Taliban literally walked into Kabul after they easily captured several Afghan provinces, they have been trying to present a moderate, reasonable face to the world. They have been making a slew of assurances and have also said they they will cut off ties with terror groups like al-Qaeda once they assume power in Afghanistan.

The rediff.com report said that there is widespread skepticism whether Taliban with its “long history of association” with terror groups and familial relationships with terrorists of other groups, will keep their promise made during the Doha agreement. The Taliban had agreed not to shelter any terrorist in Afghanistan and make it a haven for terrorist groups.