Afstan: Canadian and Brit public broadcasters at work

A topic thread by Tony Prudori at Milnet.ca:

Taliban Spokespersons Chat Up CBC, BBC Radio

Highlights from the CBC and BBC online postings..

From CBC:

.... Speaking on the telephone through an interpreter to host Carol Off from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi said peace talks would mean "we are playing with the future of the nation and it will be not good for the nation. We will never talk to anyone. We are not ready for peace talks," ....

.... "Our target is not to kill the civilian people. We are fighting for the freedom of Afghanistan, and until we … get the freedom of Afghanistan, we will fight," Ahmadi said. "Taliban are brave and we are just looking where to attack on NATO forces or American forces or Canadians or the Afghan people who are working for the internationals," he said ....

.... Ahmadi also condemned U.S. president-elect Barack Obama, saying his policies would represent a continuation of those favoured by the Bush administration. "He is looking as cruel as Bush was. It is not a good news for Americans.… At least, it will not help for them, they are just crazy." ....

.... When asked if he had a message for Canadians, Ahmadi called on Canada not to "kill their sons" by sending troops to fight in Afghanistan. "I tell them to let Afghans to make their future by themselves and decide by themselves," he said. "Afghanistan does not belong to America or Canada." ....

From the BBC

The Taleban's senior spokesman has used a rare radio interview to call for all foreign forces to leave Afghanistan ....

.... Speaking on the BBC's World Have Your Say programme, Mr Mujahid answered listeners for almost an hour, and took follow-up questions from the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner. He said the Taleban now controlled more than half of Afghanistan, and were running those areas in a more tolerant fashion than in previous years .... Mr Mujahid told the BBC that the Taleban had now stopped beheadings and were educating girls in areas under their control. He denied they were behind this week's acid attack on schoolgirls in Kandahar. The spokesman denied his movement financed itself from the drugs trade ....

.... He criticised the US for attacking Afghanistan in 2001, and said there was no proof that Osama bin Laden was behind the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda, he said, had been brought to Afghanistan by the Americans, not by the Taleban ....

Tony Prudori
MILNEWS.ca - Military News for Canadians
News - http://milnews.ca
tony@milnews.ca