The Taliban claim that they do not pose any international threat, especially to the West. The militant insurgency group’s announcement seems to have been served in time to influence the crucial debate in the US over the war in Afghanistan. The group is sending the message that its ties with al-Qaeda are weakening. The group further claims that ‘it is fighting to expel foreign invaders and to establish an Islamic state.’ These announcements were featured on several websites used by the Taliban.

Says a statement posted on a known Taliban website, “We did not have any agenda to harm other countries including Europe nor [do] we have such agenda today. 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.”

These latest Taliban claims announced online are for the review of ‘US 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-Qaeda in Pakistan.’

It is debatable whether the Taliban can indeed sever ties with the al-Qaeda, especially that ‘some strong personal ties have developed between key figures on both sides – such as between Mullah Muhammad Omar and Bin Laden – and a few specialists from al-Qaeda have helped the insurgents inside Afghanistan.’

What is factual is that ‘the Taliban are predominantly Pashtun Afghan’ while the al-Qaeda is almost entirely ‘composed of Arabs from core Middle Eastern countries and the Maghreb,’ and that ‘since the 1990s there have always been tensions between the international agenda of al-Qaeda and the domestic agenda of the Taliban.’

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Via guardian.co.uk