The United States must negotiate a political settlement to the Afghanistan war directly with Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar because any bid to split the insurgency through defections will fail, said a former Pakistani intelligence officer who trained the insurgent chief.
Omar is open to such talks, said retired Brigadier Sultan Amir Tarar, a former operative of Pakistan’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate. He is known as Colonel Imam, and is famous in Central Asia.
“If a sincere message comes from the Americans, (the Taliban) are very big-hearted. They will listen. But if you try to divide the Taliban, you’ll fail. Anyone who leaves Mullah Omar is no more Taliban. Such people are just trying to deceive,” said Tarar, a tall man with a long gray beard and white turban.
His comments came as the U.S. and its NATO allies appear increasingly anxious to find a path toward a political resolution to the more than 8-year-old war whose escalating human and financial costs are fueling growing popular opposition.
“We are pursuing a general strategy of engagement,” said James Jones, U.S. national security adviser and a former four-star Marine general. “We’ll see where this takes us.”
Senior U.S. and European officials have in recent days been heavily promoting a “re-integration” plan under which low-level Taliban fighters are to be offered jobs, education and protection in return for renouncing al Qaeda and defecting to the Afghan government. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to unveil the initiative today at an international conference on Afghanistan in London.
Karzai also is being encouraged to reach out to senior Taliban leaders, who U.S. commanders think may be induced to switch sides under the pressure of a stepped-up military campaign by the 116,000-strong U.S.-led international force bolstered by 30,000 more American soldiers, most of who are due to arrive this summer.
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