Taliban not looking to rule Afghanistan alone

Suhail Shaheen, then Deputy ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, gives an interview in Islamabad, Pakistan. (File/AP/Tariq Aziz)

• Suhail says that once US forces withdraw from Afghanistan, the Taliban want to live with other Afghans
• Suhail’s remarks come as the US envoy tasked with resolving Afghanistan’s 17-year war has reported progress in his talks with the Taliban

ISLAMABAD: A spokesman for the Taliban says they are not seeking a monopoly on power in a future administration in Afghanistan but are looking for ways to co-exist with Afghan institutions.
Wednesday’s remarks by Shaheen Suhail are the most conciliatory comments to date from the extremist militant group. He provided them to The Associated Press in an audio message from Qatar, where the Taliban maintain an office.
Suhail says that once US forces withdraw from Afghanistan, the Taliban want to live with other Afghans, “tolerate one another and start life like brothers.”
He says: “We believe in an inclusive Afghan world, where all Afghans can see themselves in it.”
Suhail’s remarks come as the US envoy tasked with resolving Afghanistan’s 17-year war has reported progress in his talks with the Taliban.