Doha office Taliban’s grave mistake: HIA

KABUL (HIA) said on Monday.

Direct negotiations between the US and the Taliban were to begin on Thursday in Qatar, but the dialogue had to be delayed as a result of strong reaction from the government of President Hamid Karzai.

Led by Gulbadin Hekmatyar, the party said in a statement on its website that talks with the US, which had announced to stay put in Afghanistan beyond 2014, were meaningless.

“Unfortunately, the Taliban have not only opted for dialogue with the US in these circumstances, they have also opened an office in a country that is viewed as a strong American base,” the HIA added.

Calling Qatar a state with deep political, military and economic ties to the US, the party said a large number American troops and bases existed in the Gulf country.

In the wake of the US announcement of remaining in Afghanistan, the HIA said the Taliban should have followed in its footsteps by sticking to their armed resistance and snapping all relations with the Americans.

“The opening of this office in Qatar is in line with a sinister American conspiracy and (President) Obama considers this in the US interest,” the statement claimed, saying the removal of the Taliban flag was an insult to the rebel movement.

The Taliban should have desisted from striking such a clandestine deal in the prevailing delicate situation, the party believed. “The appropriate course of action is to find a homegrown solution to Afghanistan’s current crisis. We should resolve our problems through intra-Afghan dialogue without any meddling from foreigners…”

According to HIA, the US is trying to enter talks with the groups that are likely agree to its political and military ambitions in the region.

The Taliban appeared to have committed to recognising the Afghan constitution, cutting links to Al-Qaeda and holding talks with the Karzai administration, the statement said.

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