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May 27th, 2016 
Awake Goy 
nsnbc : The new leader of Afghanistan’s Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, vowed that the Taliban would not negotiate with the Afghan government and fight to the end. Haibatullah Akhundzada was appointed after the former Taliban leader, and apparent holder of a Pakistani passport, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan only days after a meeting of the Quadrennial Coordination Group (QCG) in Islamabad.
Haibatullah Akhundzada has pledged that the Taliban would not enter into peace talks with the government in Kabul and underpinned his statement, saying “No, no we will not come to any type of peace talks. …Taliban will never bow their heads and will not agree to peace talks. …People thought we will lay down our arms after Mullah Mansour’s death, but we will continue fighting till the end.”
The new Taliban leader was appointed after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan near the Afghani – Pakistani border. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry demanded clarification from the United States. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria stressed that the killing happened as Pakistan is attempting to get the Taliban back to the negotiating table.
Others would note that at the very least certain powerful elements within Pakistan’s Military and Intelligence Community has no interest in peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Kabul as long as the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir lingers on.
Pakistan has always considered Afghanistan as part of its strategic depth in the case of a war with India. A copy of Mullah Akhtar Mansour’s “Pakistani” passport has been circulated. Although it is “probable” that Mansour would have had a Pakistani passport, it was impossible for nsnbc to independently verify the authenticity of the document.
The extrajudicial assassination of Mansour was carried out only days after a meeting of the Quadrennial Coordination Group (QCG) in Islamabad. Top Diplomats from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States of America met on May 18. The group discussed possibilities to start peace talks between the belligerent and other parties that are involved in the war in Afghanistan. The last meeting of the QCG was held in February and an invitation to participate in the QCG meeting in March was extended to the Taliban.
Afghanistan’s Ambassador in Islamabad, Omar Zakhilwal, for his part, said prior to the meeting that Kabul now calls on the QCG to pronounce the Taliban as “irreconcilable because they have publicly rejected the talks in February and launched a terrorist campaign.
Zakhilwal added that the QCG in its meeting in Kabul had agreed on a roadmap in February and that Kabul hopes the grouping will implement its decisions. A Taliban delegation of political negotiators from the Taliban’s official office in Qatar had arrived in Pakistan in late April for exploratory talks on a possible peace process. However, the Afghan government refused to sit with the Taliban in the wake up of increased Taliban violence. It is noteworthy that the Taliban legally maintains an office in Doha, Qatar.
Ironically, even Tehran has at times “facilitated” safe passage and other services for Taliban leaders. Ties between the Taliban and Iran are complex and opportunistic, often involving Muslim Brotherhood affiliated organizations as long as it serves “common purposes”, including activities directed against Saudi Arabia or Israel.
Several analysts noted that Pakistani intelligence has played a role in the death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour. Among the reasons cited most frequently are that “the U.S. threatens Pakistan’s national sovereignty and integrity” and circles in Pakistan wanted to show that Pakistan still is “a good U.S. ally”. Although such claims are not “improbable”, nsnbc has not had the possibility to independently verify the veracity of these claims. Those who want to “present actionable intelligence” and evidence” may contact our newspaper’s editor-in-chief directly.
CH/L – nsnbc 27.05.2016
Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2016/05/27/new-taliban-leader-vows-no-peace-talks-with-afghan-government/
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