Mullah Omar wrote to Obama: officials
WASHINGTON: Current and former U.S. officials told a foreign news agency that reclusive Taliban leader
Mullah Mohammed Omar wrote to President Barack Obama last year indicating an interest in talks key to ending the war in Afghanistan.
The
previously undisclosed communication was considered authentic by people who saw it, but skeptical administration officials say they cannot determine
if it actually came from Omar. The unsigned letter was passed through a Taliban intermediary in July. An administration official says it represented
views consistent with what Taliban emissaries had been telling U.S. officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the letter
and its contents are part of sensitive diplomacy.
A direct message from Omar could be a strong signal that the Taliban movement is interested
in negotiation at the highest levels.
Print Version |
