(MENAFN- Arab Times) The Afghan Taleban have sent a letter to Islamic State's leader urging the rival jihadist group to stop recruiting in Afghanistan, saying there is room for only "one flag, one leadership" in their fight to reestablish strict Islamist rule. The missive comes amid heavy fighting this week in eastern Afghanistan between the Taleban and breakaway factions who now swear allegiance to Islamic State, which in the past year seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria. The entry of Islamic State, while its numbers remain small, has complicated Afghanistan's already escalating war following the withdrawal of most foreign troops at the end of last year. The letter addressed to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi said the Taleban "based on religious brotherhood asks for your goodwill and doesn't want to see interference in its affairs". T h e T a l e b a n have fought to topple Afghanistan's Westernbacked government since the US-sponsored military intervention that toppled their own five-year rule in 2001. In the past year, however, small groups of disgruntled Taleban commanders have switched allegiance to Islamic State's al-Baghdadi, who aspires to establish a global caliphate with himself at the helm.
Frustration
Some defectors expressed frustration that the Taleban have not gained significant territory and questioned whether supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is still alive. The rival jihadists have fought each other in a few provinces, with some of the heaviest clashes coming this week in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said that 1,000 families had fled villages to escape the fighting after two local Taleban commanders, called Bakhtyar and Abdul Khaliq, changed sides to join Islamic State and launched attacks against their former leaders in Achin and Spin Ghar districts. Afghan and US officials say that so far there appears to be little material support flowing from the Islamic State leadership into Afghanistan, but the rise of its ideology is worrying in a region where radical new ideas can catch on among the region's vast population of young, unemployed men. The letter to al-Baghdadi, signed by Taleban political committee chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, shows the insurgents also are worried. "Jihad against American invaders and their slaves in Afghanistan must be under one flag, one leadership and one command," it said. The letter also appeared intended to dissuade other Taleban fighters considering switching sides.
Besides Arabic, it was written in Dari, Pashto and Urdu languages that are spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan and was distributed by an official Taleban spokesman. Worries about the rise of Islamic State also may be contributing to the Taleban's new receptiveness to a parallel effort to start peace talks with the Afghan government. Taleban representatives and an Afghan delegation were both attending a peace conference in Oslo on Tuesday, raising the possibility of face-to-face meetings. Meanwhile, representatives of the Afghan government and the Taleban attended an international conference on Tuesday in Norway on ways to end conflicts, but Oslo said there were no plans for formal peace talks between the two sides. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Iranian vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi were also among about 150 people at the twoday meeting to exchange views about how to negotiate peace.
Peace
"There's no plan for formal peace talks (about Afghanistan) " but if you are going to reach peace then those who disagree must talk together," Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende told reporters at the start of the meeting. A spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry said Kabul had sent a sixmember delegation to the conference at Losby, 20 kms (12 miles) east of Oslo. Afghan Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said a three-man delegation was attending. He denied media reports that the two sides would hold peace talks to end a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. "This claim is untrue," Mujahid said in a statement. "The participants in this year's conference will express their views regarding the turmoil and problems in Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan." The Taleban, however, have often played down past meetings aimed at ending the 13-year-old war with the US-backed Afghan government, including in Qatar in May.
Brende confirmed that Norway had hosted what he called informal talks in early June about womens' rights and education for girls in Afghanistan that involved both goverment and Taleban delegates. Brende said violence had risen in many parts of the world in recent years, from Syria to Nigeria. "After decades of positive developments we have seen some setbacks," he said. Colombia's Santos said there was a "ray of hope" from talks between his government and Marxist rebels, conducted over the past 30 months in Cuba. "Formidable difficulties still lie ahead in Colombia," he added in an opening speech. The 8,000-strong rebels lifted a unilateral ceasefire about three weeks ago and since then have carried out almost daily strikes against roadways, power networks and crude oil trucks and pipelines. The 51-year-old conflict has killed more than 220,000 people.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.