KABUL — A message released Monday allegedly written by the leader of the Afghan Taliban predicted imminent victory as more foreign troops die and Taliban fighters better understand NATO tactics, acquire more weaponry, shoot down more aircraft and kill more senior officials.
The lengthy statement, signed by Mullah Mohammed Omar, the movement’s one-eyed leader, follows President Barack Obama’s announcement in June that 10,000 American troops will leave this year.
“All these give us good news of an imminent victory and a bright future,” the letter said.
Despite an often triumphal tone, the writer appeared eager to discredit a planned December conference in Bonn, Germany, that could bring together representatives from 90 countries and international organizations, the Afghan government and members of the insurgency on the nation’s future.
The planned conference, like past ones, is “superficial and hype-oriented,” the letter said, calling it part of a Pentagon and White House effort to distract the public and prevent Afghans from solving their own problems. Los Angeles Times
