Taliban warn of long guerrilla war
Army chief warns Pakistan will lose strategic
depth to India
By Aslam Khan
ISLAMABAD: The Taliban have prepared a strategy
to start a long guerrilla war from the mountains
against any invading troops that seize their
cities and a new government that is formed there
to wage "a never-ending war to free Afghanistan
again from invaders."
This was stated here Friday in an exclusive
interview to The News by the legendary Mujahideen
commander Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani, the
commander-in-chief of the Taliban's southern
military command - akin to the Taliban army chief
- and Mullah Omar's top military strategist and
commander.
"We will retreat to the mountains and begin a
long guerrilla war to reclaim our pure land from
infidels and free our country again like we did
against the Soviets," Haqqani, the man who has
planned the current
Taliban military strategy against the American
attacks, which has resulted in incredibly low
casualties despite the magnitude of the air
attack, said. Haqqani, who is also responsible
for the safety of Osama bin Laden, was speaking
from an undisclosed location inside Pakistan. His
son, Naseeruddin Haqqani, served as the
interpreter for his legendary father, the only
commander of the Mujahideen that fought the
Soviets who was allowed by the Taliban to remain
in their ranks.
Following is the transcription of the recorded
interview:
Q: In case US forces take over main cities such
as Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad,
will Taliban surrender? If not, will they attack
these cities to reclaim them?
Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani: First of all, it is
next to impossible for the Americans to do so.
Remember that the Soviet also controlled several
of Afghan cities once. What happened to them? We
[the Taliban] never had a single city but look at
us now.
Even if the Americans or others manage to
[capture Afghan cities] and a new government is
installed there, we will not accept it. We will
retreat to the mountains and begin a long
guerrilla war to reclaim our pure land from
infidels and free our country again like we did
against the Soviets.
Q: How do you plan to deal with a ground invasion
by American troops?
A: We are eagerly awaiting the American troops to
land on our soil, where we will deal with them in
our own way. I tell you the Soviets were a brave
enemy and their soldiers could withstand tough
conditions. The Americans are creatures of
comfort. They will not be able to sustain the
harsh conditions that await them.
Let me also tell you that the Soviets fulfilled
their commitments with even their enemies and
Muslims, whereas the Americans are untrustworthy
and betray even their friends what to speak of
enemies. Afghanistan will prove to be the
graveyard of the Americans.
Q: What is the Taliban's view of a broad-based
national government?
A: The Afghans are with the Taliban simply
because it is an Islamic government. The
so-called broad-based national government will by
its very nature be secular, which will never be
acceptable to the Afghans.
No one from the Taliban will be a part of such an
unacceptable government, which will be filled
with American, Russian and Indian stooges.
Q: What do you make of Pakistan's support for a
broad-based national government for Afghanistan?
A: Let me remind you that on Pakistan's Eastern
border is India - Pakistan's perennial enemy.
With the Taliban government in Afghanistan,
Pakistan has an unbeatable 2,300 km strategic
depth, which even President Pervez Musharraf has
proudly proclaimed. Does Pakistan really want a
new government, which will include pro-India
people in it, thereby wiping out this strategic
depth?
I tell you, the security and stability of
Pakistan and Afghanistan are intertwined.
Together, we are strong but separately we are
weak.
Q: What is the current status of Afghan defences
against the American military strikes?
A: We have so far held on to our defences. There
is no retreat from anywhere. The military strikes
have miserably failed to inflict any serious or
crippling damage to our defences.
Q: How many Afghans have been killed so far in
the air raids?
A: Around 450 Afghans have so far been martyred
in the cowardly American strikes.
Q: How many prominent members of the Taliban
government been killed?
A: Not a single important leader or military
commander of the Taliban has been killed in the
past 12 days of constant US bombardment. Mullah
Omar, Osama bin Laden and all other commanders
are safe and sound and carrying out their duties.
However, about 25 Taliban soldiers have been
martyred.
Q: Have all the planes and helicopters in Taliban
possession been destroyed as reported?
A: This is all propaganda. Only one military
helicopter and two Ariana Airlines passenger
planes have sustained damages. The rest of the
planes are safe.
Q: Are Osama bin Laden and his group of Arabs
helping the Taliban in defending Afghanistan?
A: We don't think in terms of nationalities like
Arab, Indian or Pakistani. All with us all
Afghans. Whoever migrates to Afghanistan in the
name of Islam, we consider them all Afghans be
they from Saudi Arabia, Britain, Chechnya,
Pakistan, India or any other country of the
world. And yes, we are all fighting this war
together.
Q: What plans do Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda
have to deal with potential attack on their
suspected positions?
A: I told you. We are all fighting together.
Q: Why did Osama bin Laden not accept the Ulema's
recommendation that he leave Afghanistan?
A: The Afghan Ulema never ordered Osama bin Laden
to leave Afghanistan.
What they actually said was that he is free to
decide for himself.
Neither did we call him nor will we send him
away. We have neither kept him by force in
Afghanistan nor will we force him out.
Q: How true are the reports of defections in
Taliban ranks?
A: There is absolutely no truth in such claims.
The propagandists had claimed that Qazi Abdul Hye
of Sar-e-Pul region in the north had defected
along with his forces. This claim was made when
he was cut off some days ago in a siege by the
Northern Alliance.
However, after he broke through the siege, he and
everyone of his 4,000 soldiers was back. He is a
great scholar of Islam as well as a great
military commander. And he is definitely with us.
No defections at all.
Q: Is Mullah Omar ready to quit as the Taliban
leader and hand over power to an acceptable
person who can negotiate a ceasefire in order to
save the Afghans or to surrender Osama bin Laden?
A: We pledged allegiance at his hands and made
him the Amir-ul-Momineen (leader of the
faithful). As long as he keeps serving Islam and
Shariat, we will never leave him and he will
remain our leader. Why should he step down? Who
are others to demand that Mullah Omar should step
down?
We don't like George Bush. Why doesn't he step
down and someone sensible take his place in
America?
Q: When was the last time that you met Osama bin
Laden?
A: Of course, I can't answer that for security
reasons. However, let me state clearly that Osama
bin Laden is not only safe and sound, he is also
in good spirits.
Q: How many countries support the Taliban?
A: There are several countries that support us
including very important ones. But for obvious
reasons I am not going to name them. We can
understand that America is dangerous and it will
harm any country that openly comes to our
support. So the countries that support us have
the right not to do so openly, which they are
doing.
Q: Gulbadin Hikmetyar has announced to fight
along side the Taliban. Will you accept him in
your ranks or try him for various crimes as the
Taliban earlier pledged?
A: We have a tradition whereby when an external,
common enemy threatens the Afghans, we set aside
our internal differences and unite against the
threat. Besides, Mullah Omar is the final
authority to decide whether we will accept
Hikmetyar's help or not.
Q: How did you come to Pakistan? Did you use a
visa?
A: I am also the [Taliban] minister for border
regions. Our tribes are settled on both sides of
the Durand Line since ages. Our houses are
divided on both sides of the border. Both sides
are my home. Pakistan is my home. And besides, my
migration hasn't ended.
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