Taliban asks Obama to end war in Afghanistan

Islamabad, Nov 6(PTI) Hoping that a new era of peace will
dawn with the election of Barack Obama as the U.S. President,
the Taliban has asked the President-elect to change his
country's policies towards it and end the war in Afghanistan.

Reacting to Obama's victory in the American polls, top
Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmadi told reporters:
"We want to tell the world and the West to pull out their
troops from Afghanistan as the (party of U.S. President George
W Bush) has lost the race because of their flawed polices."

Another Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said it
would be "unwise" if Obama tried to solve the Afghan problem
militarily. He said it would be "wrong thinking" if Obama
tried to increase U.S. forces in Afghanistan to "make Afghans
slaves".

Mujahid pointed out that the Russians too tried to
suppress Afghans by deploying thousands of soldiers but could
not succeed.

"We are hopeful that Obama will withdraw forces from
Afghanistan. The U.S. should try to solve its financial crisis
instead of keeping troops in Afghanistan," he said.

Ahmadi said the new President should bring an end to
fighting and begin a new era of peace in the world. "The U.S.
President should end the continuing era of war and begin a new
era of peace," he said.

Asked whether he thought Obama would pull out troops,
Ahmadi said: "We do not have much expectations. But despite
that we will see. If Obama sends more troops to the
war-ravaged country, jehad and resistance will be continued."

Ahmadi said there was neither joy nor sorrow in the
Taliban ranks over the election of Obama.

Obama should respect the mandate from the public and
spend the taxpayers' money on social welfare and development
rather than weapons and war, Pakistani Taliban spokesman
Muslim Khan said.