Kabul: Days after announcing Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada as its new leader, the Afghan Taliban have rejected peace talks with the government as a viable solution to bringing the insurgency to an end.
An audio message has been released in Pushto, circulated by Taliban commanders, where Haibatullah is saying, “Taliban will never bow their heads and will not agree to peace talks,” Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.
Haibatullah further says, “People thought we will lay down our arms after Mullah Mansour’s death, but we will continue fighting till the end.”
Following the group’s chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour death in a US drone strike, the insurgent group announced the anointment of Akhundzada as its chief.
In a statement released by the insurgent group, Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of a network blamed for many high-profile bombings in Kabul in recent years, and Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of former leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, will serve as his deputies.
