US, CIA support Taleban
Tehran Times, 8 July 2001
TEHRAN -- An Afghan politician on Sunday asked the United States to stop supporting the Taleban militia, since they have ruined the country.
Mohammad Hasan Ja'fari, the leader of the Afghan Cultural Assembly of the Islamic Revolution of Afghanistan, in an interview with the Tehran Times, criticized the U.S. policy in respect to Afghanistan and said, "Washington, time and again sends secret delegations to Kabul to meet with the Taleban.
"If the U.S. stops support of the Taleban, the militia will not be able to survive, even for one day" Ja'fari said.
"International terrorist Osama bin Laden is residing in Afghanistan and has brought a bad name to our country," Ja'fari argued.
"The U.S. role in the case of Bin Laden is dubious, since they could arrest him if they wanted to," he believes. "On the international level, all efforts must be made to oust Bin Laden from Afghanistan.
"Other countries, such as Pakistan, should also stop meddling in the internal affairs of Afghanistan. We were expecting that President Pervez Musharraf would try to put his house in order and stop the interference in Afghanistan's affairs," Ja'fari added.
"Peace in Afghanistan is in the interest of regional stability and world stability, too," Ja'fari insisted.
"Peace and stability in Afghanistan can pave the way for an election that will definitely result in the formation of a multiethnic and multisectarian government in Kabul," he stressed.
"The Taleban have not the least idea about Islam or about the people of Afghanistan and, unfortunately, they were imposed on the Afghan people by the U.S.
"Women constitute half of the population of Afghanistan. The Taleban do not allow them access to education and do not allow them to work outside of the home, although Islam puts no such restrictions on them. It was Islam that improved the lives of women and raised their status in society." Ja'fari said.
"Afghanistan has been listed as the number one country in cultivation and production of opium, but the common Afghan people play no role in opium cultivation. The Pakistani mafia is behind the drug smuggling," he said.
"We request that officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran allow Afghan refugees to stay in Iran until the time when peace returns to the country," Ja'fari said.
In early July, a report carried by Pakistan's Urdu-language daily Jang said that Israel was "increasing its influence in Afghanistan."
The Tehran Times had reported that the pro-Zionist administration of the U.S. is behind the Taleban on numerous occasions.
The daily produced much evidence in support of its claims in the past. The Jang story is more proof that the U.S. and the Zionist regime are the main powers behind the Taleban.
In mid-June, the leader of the extremist Taleban militia, Mulla Muhammad Omar, was quoted as saying that the activities of the Saudi national Osama bin Laden are under control.
The Pakistani news agency ANN said that Mulla Omar, in a recent interview with United Press International, announced that Bin Laden does not have the right to issue Islamic religious decrees (fatwas) and any of his orders that make it obligatory to kill someone, including Americans, are void.
The Taleban have now restricted the activities of Bin Laden, forbidding him from acting against other countries while in Afghanistan. He is also not allowed to meet with representatives of the press or foreign officials.
Despite the superficial cat and mouse game staged by the U.S. toward the fanatic and inhumane Taleban movement, Omar's recent comments are just another giveaway revealing the ugly alliance between the two.
A mere glimpse at the events which led to the brutal occupation of Afghanistan by Taleban forces is enough for any vigilant observer to trace the working of the CIA throughout the affair.
While the popular resistance was going on in Afghanistan against the Soviet occupation, CIA set up a number of bases in Pakistan under the guise of religious seminaries. In effect, these bases which were funded by the CIA and run under close surveillance and cooperation of the notorious ISA of the Pak Army, became the harboring grounds for terrorist training and organization.
The Americans were pursuing a number of objectives through this initiative:
- Reducing the possibility of the formation of a progressive Afghan government after the Soviet occupation
- Fostering tension and unrest in the region through Taleban, ultimately justifying some sort of American intervention
- Portraying Islam as a backward and regressive ideology which would ultimately lead to the misery of its subjects.
In late April, informed sources reported that, U.S. diplomat James P. Chalan visited Afghanistan. It was the third time that American officials had traveled to Kabul in two weeks.
The first time, a U.S. delegation, under the pretext of examining issues related to Afghan refugees, met with top Taleban officials.
Other excuses for the U.S. diplomats to meet Taleban leaders were issues such as drug trafficking.
In regard to the drug problem, the U.S. follows the same policy. The U.S. believes that the rise in drug production will not harm Americans and that only regional states will suffer.
Copyright © 2001 Tehran Times
Reprinted for Fair Use Only.