Reiterating an offer he made in early October, Afghan President Hamid Karzai offered to provide security for Taliban leader Mullah Omar if he agrees to peace talks with the government. Reiterating their response to the previous offer, the Taliban has rejected the proposal.
Top Taliban official Mullah Brother declared that the group is “safe in Afghanistan and we have no need for Hamid Karzai’s offer of safety.” The reclusive and previously reported slain Mullah added that his organization will “continue jihad against foreign troops and their Afghan slaves.”
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe likewise said there was no “indication from Mullah Omar that he is ready to renounce violence, break all ties to al-Qaeda and support the Afghan government and constitution.”
Exactly how President Karzai proposed to protect Mullah Omar is not clear, but with tens of thousands of international troops in the country and the US State Department offering a $10 million reward for his capture, it would not have been a simple matter.