Taliban chief Mullah Omar backs Afghan peace talks: Report

Mullah Omar, the supreme leader of the Taliban, has approved the talks aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan, with a top aide of the one-eyed cleric taking part in the Saudi-sponsored peace negotiations, a news report said on Sunday.

“Mullah Omar has given the green light to talks,” said one of the mediators, Abdullah Anas, a former friend of Osama Bin Laden who used to fight in Afghanistan but now lives in London.

“A big, big step has happened,” Anas was quoted as saying by The Sunday Times. “For the first time, there is a language of . . . peace on both sides,” he said.

The security in the restive nation has worsened even as Britain and the US have pushed more troops in the past two years. However, many experts have questioned the wisdom of sending in more troops.

US president Barack Obama recently underlined the need for negotiations with “moderate Taliban” to bring peace to the
region.

Obama's new strategy for a war in Afghanistan, which he said Washington was not winning, is to shift more American efforts towards problems in neighbouring Pakistan and to seek some kind of political reconciliation with the vast majority of insurgents in the nation.

One of the negotiators for the Afghan government confirmed the contacts with Mullah Omar’s representatives.

“It’s extremely sensitive but we have been in contact both with Mullah Omar’s direct representatives and commanders from the front line,” the negotiator for the Afghan government said.

The brother of the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, who has been attending talks on his behalf, said the US president's words have created enormous optimism.

“I have been meeting with Taliban for the last five days and I can tell you Obama’s words have created enormous optimism,” Qayum Karzai, adding “There is no other way left but talks. All sides know that more fighting is not the way.”

Although observers question why the Taliban would agree to talks when they appear to have the upper hand in the conflict, Anas said its leaders were aware they could not retake power without a bloodbath.

“Taliban are in a strong position now but that doesn’t mean they can control the state,” he said. “They are well aware that it’s a different situation to 1996 when they swept to power because Afghans saw them as bringing peace.”

Some of the western nations, including Britain is also backing talks with the Taliban that could lead to their inclusion in the Afghan government and is pushing for a “reconciliation czar” to coordinate efforts, the Times reported.