Mullah Mohammad Omar Supported Taliban's Peace Negotiations with the Afghan Government

Mullah Mohammad Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban who has been in hiding for years, has described the peace negotiations with the Afghan government as 'legitimate' in a message attributed to him, stating that the goal of these negotiations and the peace process is 'to end the occupation of the country by foreign forces.' According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the statement published on the official website of the Taliban on July 15 shows a clear difference from the group's previous positions. They have always emphasized that dialogue would be meaningless until all foreign forces leave Afghan soil. This is also the first comment attributed to Mullah Mohammad Omar regarding the peace process since the first negotiations between representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban took place earlier this month in Pakistan. Although the statement does not specifically mention the peace talks hosted by the Pakistani government on July 7, it somewhat alleviates concerns regarding the Taliban leader's lack of support for these negotiations. In recent months, several unofficial meetings have taken place between Taliban representatives and the Afghan government. However, the first official meeting between the Taliban delegation and members of the Afghan High Peace Council on July 7 is considered a significant advancement. The absence of a clear position or statement from Mullah Mohammad Omar regarding the negotiations with the government has led to divisions within the Taliban, with some factions supporting the talks and others opposing them. Mullah Omar has not been seen in public for years. Some dissenting factions within the Taliban claim that he is dead or ill, and that others are issuing statements in his name. Commanders from dissenting factions have publicly questioned the legitimacy of the negotiations in early July, indicating a rift between older leaders and younger commanders and fighters within the Taliban. The emergence of a group known as the Islamic Caliphate has intensified divisions within the Afghan Taliban. In recent months, armed members of the two groups have clashed multiple times in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan. The Taliban warned the Islamic Caliphate group in June not to operate in the region. Despite this, some Taliban fighters have defected to this group and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi instead of Mullah Mohammad Omar. Mullah Mohammad Omar appears to aim to mend these divisions in his statement, saying, 'All Mujahideen and compatriots must trust this process. I will steadfastly defend our opinions and legal rights anywhere.' This statement, published on July 15 on the official Taliban website, is part of Mullah Mohammad Omar's message for Eid al-Fitr. In another part of the statement, he adds, 'If we refer to the laws of our religion, we see that meeting and even peaceful communication with the enemy is not contrary. Alongside jihad, political actions and even peaceful means to achieve our sacred goals are among legitimate Islamic principles.' The Afghan government has not yet announced when and where the next round of negotiations with Taliban representatives will take place. However, the Pakistani government has stated that negotiations will continue after the end of Ramadan. Wali Ahmad Mutawakil, former foreign minister of the Taliban regime, is not very optimistic about the success of the peace negotiations. He told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Afghan section, 'Engaging in peace negotiations is better than not negotiating at all. However, the Afghan government and the international forces stationed in this country have not seriously provided the necessary grounds for establishing sustainable peace.' The majority of international military forces led by NATO left Afghanistan at the end of 2014, handing over security responsibilities to Afghan forces. About 10,000 American troops remain in the country to train Afghan forces. According to the existing agreement between the U.S. and Afghanistan, these forces are also scheduled to leave Afghan soil by the end of 2016.