PKonweb Monitor

The Taliban can rejoin the “social and political fabric of Afghanistan” if they renounce al-Qaeda, US special envoy Richard Holbrooke said on Tuesday.

Holbrooke, a close ally of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who was appointed taskmaster for Afghanistan and Pakistan (AF-PAK) affairs, said it is a major part of the Unites States policies.

In an interview with SPIEGEL, Holbrooke said: “Majority of the Taliban do not support Mulla Omar’s extreme views and that there is room for them to rejoin the social and political fabric of Afghanistan if they renounce al-Qaeda and reintegrate peacefully into Afghanistan. This is a major part of the Unites States policies. Washington is not seeking to destroy every person who supports the Taliban. Our goal is to destroy al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization with global reach, which attacked the United States, which conducted attacks in London, Madrid and Bali, and Mumbai and Islamabad, which supports attacks in Afghanistan through other groups.”

Holbrooke’s statement comes as President Obama prepares to announce his decision after the Thanksgiving holidays on sending more US troops to Afghanistan. Gen McCrystal, commander of US forces in Afghanistan has said he needed around 40,000 more soldiers to fight the Al Qaeda, the Taliban and their supporters.

The US special envoy said Washington was not in Afghanistan to build a perfect democracy there but to help the Afghans strengthen their own capabilities. “We are not there to take over the country, we are there to help the Afghans build their own capacity so that their security forces can replace the international forces over an acceptable period of time,” he said.

Asked if Afghan President Hamid Karzai was still Washington’s partner in the war, Holbrooke said: “Yes, he is our partner.” The US respected Karzai and looked forward to working with him closely, he added. (MAMOSA)