Taliban call on US to send fact-finding team to uncover "ground realities" in Afghanistan

Kabul, Nov 8 (ANI): The Taliban has called on the US Congress to send a "fact-finding mission" to Afghanistan for investigating what they called the lies and propaganda spread by American military chiefs to prolong the war in the country.

Addressed to "Messers American Congressmen," the statement was signed by "spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" Qari Mohammad Yousuf Ahmadi, and emailed to a foreign news agency, the Daily Times reported.

It suggested that a US Congressional team travel throughout Afghanistan to uncover the "ground realities" which it said were being concealed by military leaders, who were eager to give an impression of victory.

The resistance to the US-led war against the Taliban was indigenous, the group said, contrary to the claims by Washington that it was influenced from outside the country.

The statement also accused US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, commander of foreign troops in Afghanistan US General David Petraeus, and other "military brass" of exaggerating battlefield successes not only to appear victorious, but also for financial gain.

For nine years "Afghans have been festering in the vortex of an imposed war... The apparition of mass murder, imprisonment, night house raids and plundering, which has become the order of the day, constantly haunts them," said the statement.

"Can a few militants stand up to armed forces of 40 countries including the strongest countries of the world," questioned the statement, referring to the US-NATO alliance, and claimed, "In fact the current armed jihad is a country-wide resistance against you. Men and women, old and young from every tribe, ethnicity, caste and area have arisen to oppose you."

"Thus by your intending to wipe out the resistance, you have chosen the way of committing genocide of the whole nation," it added.

According to the paper, the Taliban said that if the US government would not provide proof of its claims, "then how about another experiment? Send a team to Afghanistan on a fact-finding mission."

"The team should have freedom of movement and should be allowed to remain far from the clutches of your intelligence agencies," it said, adding that US military leaders were unlikely to allow the team to do so. (ANI)