NSA warns of Taliban’s intent to ‘seize power’ once foreign troops leave

National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib said on Friday the Taliban wants to seize power by forcing the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.

Mohib also accused the Taliban of wasting time in Doha, saying the developments around the talks show that the Taliban wants to seize power by force.

According to him, the Afghan government will prepare for war against the Taliban if negotiations fail.

Mohib’s statement comes the same day as Washington announced its troops now number only 2,500 in Afghanistan – as per the US-Taliban conditions-based agreement signed in February last year.

According to the agreement, the remainder of their troops will be pulled out by May but only if the Taliban meet the conditions – which include cutting all ties with al-Qaeda.

“The Taliban are not looking for peace, they are wasting their time, and they are thinking of creating opportunities for them after the withdrawal of foreign forces; to take the government by force and to establish their rule by force here, although it is not practical,” Mohib said.

Meanwhile, sources in Doha said the head of the Taliban’s negotiating team has returned to Qatar and talks on the agenda are expected to resume on Saturday.

“Their [Taliban] return means that the talks are going on and they have not stalled. But the problem [on the agenda] remains,” said Tahir Khan, a Pakistani freelance reporter.

Sources in Doha confirm that the two sides differ vastly with regards to what the agenda should be based on.

“I think the Taliban are proposing dialogue on an Islamic State and the government is proposing a ceasefire; this will be a bit difficult because the differences between the two sides are huge,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban member.

The second round of talks started just over a week ago and in that time the Republic’s team has met with the Taliban team only three times and have not reached consensus on an agenda.

Although the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has told the Taliban that its priority is a ceasefire, the Taliban have not officially stated what their priority is yet.

The Taliban’s political office in Doha also said talks had not stalled and were under way between the negotiating parties but that smaller groups had been holding discussions.