Statement appears aimed at influencing debate in US over war in AfghanistanJason Burke and Chris McGreal in Washington guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 October 2009
The Taliban has said it poses no threat to the west in a move apparently intended to influence the intense debate over the future of the war in Afghanistan by suggesting weakening ties to al-Qaida.
The statement, which appeared on several websites used by the Taliban, will be scrutinised by President Barack Obama's national security advisers who are reported to be pressing him to shift the focus of the war from the Taliban in Afghanistan to al-Qaida in Pakistan. Some of the advisers, along with US vice-president Joe Biden argue that the Taliban is not a direct threat to the US while al-Qaida's deepening intrusion into Pakistan threatens to turn it into a new base for terrorist assaults on America as well as destabilising a close ally.
The Taliban statement said it is fighting to expel foreign invaders and to establish an Islamic state.
"We did not have any agenda to harm other countries including Europe nor (do) we have such agenda today," said the statement posted on a known Taliban website. "Still, if you want to turn the country of the proud and pious Afghans into a colony, then know that we have an unwavering determination and have braced for a prolonged war."
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But Biden and, according to officials speaking to the US press, most of Obama's national security advisers favour shifting the focus to hunting down al-Qaida in Pakistan because it poses a greater threat to the US. They argue that the Taliban and Bin Laden's followers are not inextricably linked - a view that would be appear to be reinforced by the Taliban's statement. If that position were accepted, it may even open the way to dealings with the Taliban that would be unthinkable with al-Qaida.
However, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and the defence secretary, Robert Gates, have argued that the two groups remain closely tied and that if the Taliban were to retake power in Afghanistan it would again provide safe haven to al-Qaida. It is unclear whether the Taliban's statement represents a genuine shift in position or a clever attempt to influence an ongoing debate, or both.
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