Taliban minister suggests Bush, Blair and Omar duel
Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban has proposed a duel between US President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar to decide once and for all who will stand and who will run.
‘‘The Americans have launched propaganda that Mullah Omar has gone in hiding, so I will propose that Mr Blair and Mr Bush should take Kalashnikovs and come to a specified place where Mullah Omar will appear with the Kalashnikov to determine as to who will run,’’ Foreign Minister Maulvi Wakil Ahmed Mutawakil said in Kandahar, reported Iran’s IRNA news agency.
Mutawakil said US claims that Mullah Omar was in hiding were false and that he remains in control.
‘‘Mullah Omar changes places because of security ... he effectively runs affairs of the government as in the past,’’ he said.
He described reports of a split within the Taliban leadership as baseless and accused the US of not responding to requests for negotiations.
‘‘After the American refusal to hold talks, now to whom we should talk to,’’ he said.
The Taliban Foreign Minister said he respected the wishes of Muslims who crossed from Pakistan to join Taliban forces, but said they were not needed yet.
‘‘We will welcome all Muslims to join us after the ground fighting is started,’’ he added.
Asked about the reports about the killing of three British Muslims in Afghanistan, he said he appeals to the parents of these Muslims to demonstrate patience.
