Taliban jihadists released a statement last week offering a “life of peace” through “amnesty” to the very same U.S.-backed Afghan National Security Forces (ANDSF) they have massacred for years if it renounces its ranks. The terrorists cited the “very high number of casualties” sustained by the troops as a reason to abandon American support.
The Taliban described the proposal, issued a day after the start of the holy month of Ramadan last Thursday, as a “golden opportunity” for the “feeble” and misguided ANDSF, which includes police and army units.
Taliban narco-jihadists noted that the “amnesty” offer comes with a caveat: the terrorist group will stop targeting “military formations, [the] national army, national police … and all employees” of the Afghan government only if they renounce “the support of the Americans.”
“Leave the support of the Americans and accept the invitation by the Islamic Emirate of a life of peace and honor for you and your families,” the terrorist group declared.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has made “reconciliation” between Kabul and the Taliban a major component of its strategy to end the nearly 17-year war in Afghanistan.
The Trump administration has come out in support of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s most recent peace proposal to the Taliban — an offer of a ceasefire and official recognition as a political group.
In its statement, the Taliban insisted that in its ongoing spring offensive, it is primarily focusing on “the Americans and their foreign allies.” Referring to the ANDSF, the Taliban later added:
You however are turning into Mujahideen targets because you are protecting the foreign invaders and the corrupt regime which they have installed. Since the foreign invaders and their installed corrupt regime are neither in your interest or in the interest of our country nor are they in the interest of your religion and beliefs therefore rescue yourselves and prove your loyalty towards your Lord, beliefs and land by forsaking their ranks. In case you do leave the enemy ranks, the Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate will guarantee protection of your life and wealth through a general amnesty.
Taliban narco-militants announced their proposal on Friday, a day after Afghanistan declared the start of Ramadan, a time when Islamic terrorists believe God especially rewards jihad.
The Taliban is behind the deadliest attack during Ramadan so far this year, which involved killing nine Afghan security forces and wounding seven others on the same day it announced its “amnesty” offer.
On the first day of Ramadan, U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, the top commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, praised the ANDSF as “the true heroes … who continue to sacrifice and put their lives on the line to protect” the nation.
Gen. Nicholson urged the Taliban to embrace Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s recent peace offer.
The ANDSF took the lead of security operations in its own country near the end of 2014 when the United States declared an end to America’s combat mission.
Afghan security forces have born the brunt of the casualties since then. The Taliban has been responsible for most ANDSF and civilian casualties.
Notwithstanding capability lapses, the Afghan security forces have shown a will to defend their country as demonstrated by the historic number of deaths and injuries they have suffered in recent years.
The U.S. military has “classified” casualty data for the ANDSF in recent months, according to the U.S. Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a watchdog agency.
Citing some of the latest data available, SIGAR reported last year, “More than twice as many ANDSF members were killed in the single year of 2016 than U.S. forces in Afghanistan have lost since 2001.”
Taliban terrorists tried to capitalize on the high number of casualties that the group itself has generated, declaring in its statement:
Due to the very high number of casualties being suffered by the Kabul administration police and other forces (forecasted to increase even further) … the Islamic Emirate [Taliban] … declares a general amnesty to all military formations, national army, national police … and all employees of the regime to safeguard their lives and wealth.
Taliban terrorists also cited Trump’s decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a reason the ANDSF and Kabul employees should turn their backs on American support, describing the move as the “most hate-filled move yet against Islam and Muslim.”
The Taliban’s “amnesty” offer also comes at a time when the Afghan National Police (ANP) has suffered a sharp decline of 24,841 officers over the last year, bringing the total manpower as of the end of January to 129,156, SIGAR revealed.
ANDSF troops have also been facing a “severe problem” involving insider attacks in which the Afghan personnel “are attacked from within their own ranks, often by an insurgent infiltrator,” the inspector general reported.
Last year alone, such assaults, known as “green-on-green” attacks, killed 127 Afghan security forces and wounded 112 others.
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