Haqqanis would agree to peace talks on Afghan if Taliban did so

According to international news agency Reuters, the Haqqani Network would take part in peace talks with President Karzai and the U.S., only if the Taliban dead.

In a telephone conversation with Reuters, the anti-government group leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has a bounty of up to $5 million on his head, said previous attempts were aimed at creating division between militant groups.

“They offered us very very important positions but we rejected and told them they would not succeed in their nefarious designs. They wanted to divide us,” Sirajuddin told Reuters.

He said the group now felt safe in Afghanistan.

“Gone are the days when we were hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Now we consider ourselves more secure in Afghanistan besides the Afghan people. Senior military and police officials are with us,” said Sirajuddin.

“There are sincere people in the Afghan government who are loyal to the Taliban as they know our goal is the liberation of our homeland from the clutches of occupying forces.”