Taliban leader Mullah Omar Wednesday hailed as "legitimate" peace talks aimed at ending Afghanistan's 13-year war, in his first comments on the nascent dialogue, easing concerns that it lacked the leadership's backing. Afghan officials sat down with Taliban cadres last week in Murree for their first face-to-face talks aimed at ending the bloody insurgency.
But in his annual message before Eid-ul-Fitr, the reclusive leader backed negotiations - though he did not refer specifically to last week's meeting. "If we look into our religious regulations, we can find that meetings and even peaceful interactions with the enemies is not prohibited," he said in a statement on the Taliban's website. "Concurrently with armed jihad, political endeavours and peaceful pathways for achieving these sacred goals is a legitimate Islamic principle."
But Wednesday's statement is "different from previous Taliban statements", said Kabul-based political analyst Ahmad Saeedi. "In addition to war, the Taliban leader talks about peace and negotiations," Saeedi told AFP. "There is no doubt a gradual change is developing in the Taliban's attitude. It is now for the Afghan government to use this golden opportunity and engage them smartly."
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