Taliban Willing To Establish Relations With US, Other Countries- Except Israel

Making it very clear that the Taliban would not establish any relations with Israel, a spokesman for the extremist group announced its new government after taking control of Afghanistan.

Speaking to Russia’s Sputnik News this week, spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that the Taliban were willing to work with the US after the long, 20-year war. “Yes, of course, in a new chapter if America wants to have a relation with us, which could be in the interest of both countries and both peoples, and if they want to participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, they are welcome”, Shaheen said.

Source: Times of Israel (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)

However, a chance to mend relations with Israel is still out of question, given the Palestinian cause. “Of course, we won’t have any relation with Israel. We want to have relations with other countries, Israel is not among these countries,” Shaheen said.

The Taliban on Tuesday officially named a provisional government, including several wanted for terror offenses. The Taliban named Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund their acting prime minister, who is on a UN sanctions list and served in the Islamists’ brutal 1996-2001 regime. His deputy will be Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban who was released by Pakistan under US pressure to take part in negotiations on the withdrawal of US troops. The interior minister will be Sirajuddin Haqqani, part of a US-designated terrorist group, despite a US offer of millions of dollars for information leading to his arrest.