This file photo taken in 1996 of a TV screen grab taken secretly by BBC Newsnight shows Taliban's one-eyed spiritual leader Mullah Mohammed Omar (C) during a rally of his troops in Kandahar before their victorious assault on Kabul in 1996. Picture: BBC NEWS/NEWSNIGHT/ AFP Source: AFP
- Letter sent to White House allegedly from Taliban
- Claims the Taliban are open to discussion
- Taliban say reports aimed at sowing confusion
THE Afghan Taliban deny that their leader Mullah Omar has written to US President Barack Obama last July.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said reports that Omar had sent a letter indicating an interest in talks key to ending the war in Afghanistan were "baseless allegations."
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is strongly condemning these rumours and allegations," Mujahid said in an email today to media organisations, referring to the Taliban by the name Afghanistan had while under their rule.
He said�the reports were aimed at sowing confusion among Afghans.
Current and former US officials told The Associated Press the letter purportedly from Omar was unsigned. It was passed through a Taliban intermediary and intended for the White House.
The previously undisclosed communication was considered authentic by people who saw it, but sceptical administration officials said they cannot determine it actually came from Omar.
The Obama administration did not directly respond to the letter, two officials said, although it has broadened contacts with Omar's emissaries since then.
Sources who described the letter did not disclose its precise contents, but one current and one former official said it addressed Taliban willingness to build trust with the United States.
One official said Omar complained the US had not done enough to establish good faith for negotiations, such as arranging the release of Taliban prisoners held in the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
An administration official would say only that the message represented views consistent with what Taliban emissaries had been telling US officials during the clandestine meetings. Those preliminary sessions opened the way for more formal talks that US officials now publicly welcome.
A direct message from Omar could be a strong signal that the Taliban movement is interested in negotiation at the highest levels.
The Obama administration is trying to foster talks among the Taliban and the US-backed government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, but remains wary of Taliban motives.
Omar is the spiritual leader of the Taliban movement, and directs the organisation's guerrilla military campaign.
He was the de facto head of state in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan prior to the US invasion that toppled the Taliban government in 2001.
He has not been seen in public in years, and his exact whereabouts are unknown. He is wanted by the US government for harbouring Osama bin Laden and helping the al-Qaeda terror network.
The Obama administration is now considering release of five top Taliban leaders from Guantanamo as a starting point for negotiations. The five would be sent to custody in the Gulf nation of Qatar, where the Taliban plan to establish a negotiating office. Republicans in Congress oppose the release of the prisoners.
AP jel
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