The announcement comes amid the group’s military advances and as peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban resume in Doha.
Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada has said he “strongly favors” a political solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, even when the group launched a global offensive across the country.
Sunday’s announcement comes as representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban armed fighters sat down for a new round of talks in Doha over the weekend, raising hopes that the long-stalled peace talks could be revived. .
“Despite the advances and military advances, the Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan] it strongly favors a political deal in the country, ”Akhunzada said in a message posted ahead of next week’s Muslim holiday in Eid al-Adha.
“All opportunities for the establishment of an Islamic, peace and security system that arise will be seized by the Islamic Emirate,” he added.
For months, the two sides have met inside and outside the Qatari capital, but have achieved little, if any, notable success, as talks appear to have lost momentum as the Taliban group make significant gains on the battlefield, especially with foreign forces. ending his retirement of Afghanistan.
Both sides he resumed talks in Doha on Saturday.
The Taliban leader said his group remained committed to forging a solution to end the war, but criticized “opposition parties” for “wasting time”.
“Our message remains that instead of trusting foreigners, we solve our problems among ourselves and rescue our homeland from the dominant crisis,” he added.
Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid said Akhunzada discussed issues raised by the Afghan people and the international community in Eid’s “elaborate” message, where he spoke about women’s and minority rights, the role of the security forces and how relations between a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan and its neighbors could be.
“During the first day of talks, the atmosphere has been described as fit and everything was being discussed on the table,” said Bin Javaid, who spoke from outside the talks in Doha.
“There has been a lot of hope that the Afghan people have fixed these talks and the big question is what they will yield.”
Bin Javaid said both sides are firm in trying to get the other side to reach, but it remains to be seen if anything concrete will come out of the last round of talks in Doha.
Taliban offensives
Taliban fighters have taken advantage of the final stages of the withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops from Afghanistan to launch a series of lightning offensives in large parts of the country.
The group is now believed to control about half of the nation’s 400 districts, several major border crossings and has besieged a number of vital provincial capitals.
The Taliban have seemed to be united for a long time, operating under an effective chain of command and conducting complex military campaigns despite the perennial rumors of divisions among the organization’s leaders.
There are still questions about the firmness of the hand that Taliban leaders have with the commanders on the ground and whether they will be able to convince them to comply with a potential agreement if it is signed.
In particular, the leader’s statement made no mention of a formal ceasefire call for the Eid holiday.
Over the years, the Taliban have announced a series of short truces during religious holidays that initially spurred a greater reduction in violence in the country.
However, the group has been criticized more recently for using the temporary ceasefire to resupply and replace its fighters, which has allowed them to launch offensive lines against Afghan security forces once the truce has expired. .
The U.S.-led military coalition has been on the ground in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years after an invasion launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Fears grow that Afghan forces will be overwhelmed without the vital air support they provide, allowing for a full Taliban military takeover or the start of a multilateral civil war for a country flooded with large arms reserves after nearly 40 years of fighting.
