Mullah Omar favours Taliban peace talks with Afghan govt

[Recursion]

Source: Pakistan Daily Times

KABUL: A message purportedly from reclusive Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar on Wednesday appeared for the first time to signal approval for peace talks with the Afghan government, a week after milestone meetings between the two sides in Pakistan.

It represented the first word in the name of Mullah Omar on the budding peace process that has deeply split the Afghan insurgents' leadership.

However, Mullah Omar himself has not been seen in public in years, and some disgruntled Taliban factions have suggested he is either dead or very ill and others may be making statements in his name.

Wednesday's written message issued ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eidul Fitr said the Taliban had a legal right to meet Afghan and foreign officials, as long as Islamic ideals were respected in the process. "Peaceful interactions with the enemies is not prohibited under Islamic tradition," said the statement published on a website linked to the Taliban. "The objective behind our political endeavours ... is to bring an end to the occupation."

Read more: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/16-Jul-2015/mullah-omar-favours-taliban-peace-talks-with-afghan-govt

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If true, this could be very good news...

[Suich]

1. I sincerely hope this is true!

Would be incredible if it is!

[leftynyc]

2. I'm skeptical

Let's all remember this vile person was the one responsible for the taliban's "rules" for women who lived in Afghanistan. If he's hoping for a "peace" just so he can install another women hating "government", he can go fuck himself.

[happyslug]

3. So lets just IGNORE the majority, for we disagree with what they want.

In 2007 the Taliban controlled over half of Afghanistan, remember the US invaded Afghanistan in 2002:



Obama at first expanded US troops, but later started to withdraw them as NATO withdrew they troops. Among the Pushtans, the Taliban has almost 100% support (Through the present leaders of the present government is of the same ethnic group, but have little support outside their extended family within the Pushtan Tribal group).

In recent years the areas under Taliban Control has INCREASED not decreased:



Given the support for the Taliban is mostly by the Afghan people themselves, you do not want to talk to them? That was the position taken by the NAZIS to the Jews, do not TALK to them, just kill them off (It was also the position of the Turks to the Armenians during WWI, and Stalin when it came to hostile minorities within the old Soviet Union).

I am NOT calling you a Nazi, I am just pointing out that when you REFUSE to talk to people who are supported by over 1/2 of the population, you are saying "Submit to my will or die". That is the first step to genocide.

The present leadership of Afghanistan has to deal with the Taliban and that means talking and sharing power.

As to the Taliban's position of Women's rights and the position of the present Government, you will find no difference, both view women as property. While the plight of women in Afghanistan under the Taliban is a big deal in the West, it is NOT in dispute between these two governments.

A new Afghan law will allow men to attack their wives, children and sisters without fear of judicial punishment,

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/04/afghanistan-law-victims-violence-women

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140208-afghanistan-women-addario-law-karzai/

During the Taliban era, women were known to teach young girls. Such education not being "formal" was accepted by the Taliban. Since the present government has been in power, these technically has expanded into schools, but in most cases just closed down due to a refusal of the present government to provide security,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_rights_in_Afghanistan

A web site that list restrictions imposed by the Taliban, but gives no actual citations for the restrictions listed:

http://www.rawa.org/rules.htm

If you look at the record, there is no significant difference, when it comes to women's rights, between the Government the US Supports and the Taliban. Thus to support one, and condemn the other for the same thing ignores reality in Afghanistan. Thus the status of women will NOT come up in any talks between the Taliban and the present Government, for they both agree on that issue.

[leftynyc]

4. Are you happy

knocking down that strawman you put up yourself?

[happyslug]

5. That "Strawman" is the background for any discussion of Afghanistan

Sorry, but both sides oppose what we in the west calls "Women's rights" and thus not a dispute between the two sides. Thus any talks will involved an understanding that a woman's place is in the home. We may disagree with that position, but it is the position both sides are comfortable with and thus no reason for them NOT to talk,

[leftynyc]

7. I'm talking about one person

the piece of shit called mullah omar. Anything he has to say is of no interest to me whatsoever and frankly I'd drone his ass in a heartbeat.

[happyslug]

8. He has the support of over 50% of the populations of Afghanistan

And his position is the same as that 50% and it appears the majority of the rest of the country to.

Please note, I am being conservative with his support of 50%, it may be as high as 100% in the south east part of Afghanistan, and lower as you head north (in the extreme North his support drops to almost Zero, but that has more to do that being the area of Afghanistan with NO Pushtans then any doctrinal reasons). His support also declines along the Afghan - Iran border but again more for tribal reasons then anything else.

[leftynyc]

9. Were any women asked?

without their fathers/brothers/husbands nearby? I doubt it very much. He's a vile piece of shit and one of the very few humans whose death I would lift a shot of tequila to.

[samsingh]

6. and of course the attacks will continue during the peace talks

or they will just go attack someone else if somehow they succeed.