But he offered little sign of agreeing to a ceasefire or of opening direct negotiations with the Kabul government, which the Taliban regard as an illegitimate foreign-imposed regime. The head of the Afghan #Taliban pledged on Saturday to continue fighting until the movement's objectives were reached and indicated it was still not ready to open talks with the Western-backed government in #Kabul. "The Islamic Emirate shall pay no heed to such futile efforts and diplomatic obstructions being created for the intra-Afghan dialogue," he said. Afghan officials have been deeply suspicious of the talks, which they see as a means of reinforcing the Taliban and powerful regional politicians while sidelining the legitimate government. "The Islamic Emirate seeks the establishment of a sovereign, Islamic and inclusive government acceptable to all Afghans in our beloved homeland," the message said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune June 01, 2019 09:00 UTC