The identity of the Taliban leader is not revealed but the interview was conducted by Taliban expert and author Michael Semple, who has also served as a UN envoy to Afghanistan and now works with the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy at Harvard.
"It would take some kind of divine intervention for the Taliban to win this war," the commander, who is referred to only as Maulvi (cleric) tells Semple, according to excerpts of the interview on the magazine's website.
"The Taliban capturing Kabul is a very distant prospect."
The Islamists were in power in Afghanistan from 1996 until they were ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001 for harbouring al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, and have since waged an increasingly bloody insurgency.
"At least 70 per cent of the Taliban are angry at al Qaeda," Maulvi is quoted as saying. "Our people consider al Qaeda to be a plague that was sent down to us by the heavens.
"To tell the truth, I was relieved at the death of Osama. Through his policies, he destroyed Afghanistan. If he really believed in jihad he should have gone to Saudi Arabia and done jihad there, rather than wrecking our country."
The Taliban insurgents now face the growing forces of the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai, supported by some 130,000 US-led NATO troops, who are due to withdraw by the end of 2014.
"It is in the nature of war that both sides dream of victory. But the balance of power in the Afghan conflict is obvious," says Maulvi, who is described as one of the most senior surviving Taliban commanders and a confidant of the movement's leadership.
"Any Taliban leader expecting to be able to capture Kabul is making a grave mistake. Nevertheless, the leadership also knows that it cannot afford to acknowledge this weakness.
"To do so would undermine the morale of Taliban personnel. The leadership knows the truth -- that they cannot prevail over the power they confront."
The views presented in the interview contrast strongly with the Taliban's belligerent public statements, but Maulvi said that "for the moment, as long as (supreme leader) Mullah Omar is alive, the Taliban will be prepared to follow him in this fight".
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@Jim Jones: USSR the super power of that time couldn't defeat the Taliban and how can you?????And the Taliban have proven their strength and power by the attacks in near past on the important buildings in Afghanistan and Pakistan..... And as far as your this stance is concerned "The Taliban is responsible for 75% of the civilian casualties" the what about the slaughter of innocent Afghanis by the US' and NATO's forces on daily basis?????
Of course they can not win. For every American the Talibunnies kill, they Americans kill at least 10 Talibs. They can not fight battles 1 vs. 1, because get slaughtered every time.
So, they have resorted to terrorizing the population, by burning down girl schools, assassinating government officials, and other cowardly tactics. The Taliban is responsible for 75% of the civilian casualties.
If the interviewed Taliban leader can be trusted, his views on the strength of the Taliban could help the Western-led forces in Afghanistan bring the Taliban and the Afghan government to a negotiating table. Peace will only be reality if the Taliban accept the government in Kabul.
Only the US' media's misleading action to divert the world's attentions from its defeats and failures and camouflaging its weaknesses and defeats by the handful Taliban in Afghanistan............
all pakistanis gonna deny this because they believe in martial theory where muslims cant lose a war with infidels. this is modern day where bigotry and backwardness loses which is top characteristics of muslim world these days. outdated and backward system they follow will give them nothing. hindus and christians and even buddhists have gone out of the boundries of religion into true scintific and rational world and thats why we see them better off in every manner
Pakistanis seem to be worried again. India will take over Afghanistan and Pakistanis will be trapped in between. Seriously, most Pakistanis think so. Hahaha.
A propaganda or a fake interview by western world but it carries truth.
@Afghanistan: You have a very valid point friend. Both US/ Nato and the Taliban should leave Afghanistan. Afghanistan should be ruled by Afghani people a multi-party democracy which provides equal rights and dignity of all its citizen. . Such elected government should decided what type of relationship they want to peruse with its neighbors and the rest of the world.
@Lala Gee: If you want friendly Afghanistan then try to create relationship with the people of Afghanistan. You should think that eventhough pakistan has supported Afghans against soviet and still more than 3 million live in your soil, why afghans dont like pakistan. If you want to foil India's interest, you should compare yourself with india and analyse what they are doing in our country for which Afghans gave favour to them instead of pakistan. India has spent $2 billion on developmental project since 2001 and invested about $5 billion in copper mine while pakistan has just supported taliban who are doing just suicide and kill innocent afghans. If this is pakistan interest in our country to send suicide and kill innocent afghans and then expect Afghans to support pakistan because pakistan supported them against soviet union and 3 million refuegees live in pakistan, I dont think any afghan would accept this. However if pakistan also persue the same way as indian has done I am sure we would love pakistan more than india because pakistanis are muslim.
I wish it is correct!!!
@abdussamad: Who is going to protect Kabul after NATO withdraws from Afghanistan? Fairies?
You think NATO is training 2-3 lac Afghan National Army to play children's games?
What ?? But the Pakistanis would have us believe that Taliban totally devastated the US and NATO forces and they are withdrawing because they can't take the beating anymore.
@Nand:
"@Lala Gee: The Season of kite flying has come. Please fly some kites.."
Kite flying is prohibited here by law as it kills the innocent. However, you can keep enjoying.
Why did Pakistan first sent irregular pathan soldiers in Independent Kashmir in 1947? And why Chinese are being invited to AJK?
@Lala Gee: The Season of kite flying has come. Please fly some kites..
Took them long enough but I am glad that Taliban finally realize that its their cultural identity of being Afghan defines them in external social life and religion is relevant only in internal spiritual life.
Their attempts to imitate the social life of 7th century Bedouins were always doomed to end disastrously.
@Lala Gee:
1) It isn't a sacrifice if it's done for gain 2) It isn't a brother who expects something in return for every favor
@BruteForce:
"Its not the people but the ideology, ultimately. Pakistan helped create this mindset and it is spreading like a plague. Even before NATO came to Afghanistan, this mindset had already spread, NATO invasion into Af-Pak only intensified it and acted as a catalyst for its exponential growth. If Pakistan was my country, I’d be scared, really really scared by this “head in the sand” syndrome."
The root cause of most the problems in this regions is the India's greed and unprincipled duplicitous policy. Had India resolved the Kashmir problem amicably instead of holding on the occupation by force, this problem of extremism should never have arisen in the first place. At one hand you refused to accept the accession of Junagadh state to Pakistan on the basis that the majority of population was Hindu and occupied it by force, but at the same time India refused to implement the same principle in Kashmir inspite of the repeated promises of doing so. So, if anyone has to be blamed for all the miseries in this region and to be ashamed of, that is India herself.
@Afghanistan:
What Pakistan only wants in Afghanistan is a friendly regime there that does not play the Indian game against Pakistan. If Taliban are the only such people in Afghanistan, then there is no way that Pakistan will withdraw their support. And this expectation of friendly regime is not totally unreasonable keeping in view of the financial and social sacrifices Pakistan has done in by harboring over 3.5 million Afghan brothers (refugees) for over 2 decades. If the current government of Karzai has been friendly towards Pakistan instead of signing 'Strategic Partnership' agreements with India, Pakistan must have tried to help settle him with Taliban for a long lasting peace in the region.
A war propaganda by USA to ensure their exit by 2014
It never stops to amaze me that how Pakistanis root for the Taliban, when the same ideology is planning to take over Pakistan on the other side of the border.
The distinction is the target here: One targets the NATO, the other Pakistan. So the the latter is bad.
The thinking is as and when NATO leaves the latter will disappear and many believe that they are supported by NATO/India/Isreal depending on whom you speak to.
Its not the people but the ideology, ultimately. Pakistan helped create this mindset and it is spreading like a plague. Even before NATO came to Afghanistan, this mindset had already spread, NATO invasion into Af-Pak only intensified it and acted as a catalyst for its exponential growth.
If Pakistan was my country, I'd be scared, really really scared by this "head in the sand" syndrome.
Interestingly Kabul has been safer than Peshawar in recent years! Its obvious Taliban can never capture Kabul
Taliban cannot win the war, but neither can the other side.
Afghanistan is going to end up like Pakistan --- central govt will actually control a minority of the country and the uncontrolled portion will be a chronic pain for everyone.
Very doubtful of unnamed sources. Possibly a planted story unless cross checked with names.
Who is going to protect Kabul after NATO withdraws from Afghanistan? Fairies? The Taliban will win.
enough! Bongi! Angry at al qaeda? Must be dellusion of interviewer. Or he just think of himself enough courageous to really show up to taliban. Hahaha
To the Taliban apologists :
NATO has INDEED WON THE WAR.
First of all, we need to understand what is a war here? Is it some Nepolean foray, where French army of several thousand is face to face with a Russian/Austrian forces of several thousands armed with cannons, bayonets and muskets? On horses, on foot and on wheels? Where they fight all day and rest all night? Follow a terms of engagement? And one side waves a white flag, throws away arms and gives in?
Here both the sides are invisible (one uses drones and the other uses suicide bombers). This war is a more brutal one with no terms of engagement. It's about survival. It's about influencing the ordinary people. This means, the battle is won by the side that has influence on the people.
On any day, NATO and its backed Karzai government have more influence over the ordinary Afghanistan than the Taliban. This doesn't mean, any side will give up easily. They will keep fighting until they are completely weakened.
The chances of Taliban completely weakening are higher than that of NATO backed governments.
I don't think he consulted ISI before making this statement!
They could never win the war from the start, when would these ignorant people learn that the world has advanced from stone age and that superior technology now wins wars...No wonder its a destroyed race.
Pakistanis happily want taliban in our country but seriously against them in pakistan. It is as if prophet(PBUH) wanted Islam in madina but didn't want it in maka. Islam is a worldwide religion and should be implemented in all the world. if they want Taliban in our coutnry, why they are against them in their own country. would any pakistani be happy to be their health minister a Talib, Defense minister a talib, Medical college's dean a talib. Do any pakistani want their girls school to get closed?If not, then why they support them in our country. Dont get me wrong because I am muslim and love Islam but I am against hypocrites. I think islam should not be used as a tool for someones interest. We afghans want peace and want a political settlement and request from taliban to start peace process with karzai's government. If prophet can sign a deal with non-muslims(Hadibia peace agreement), then why taliban can not start negociation with their fellow afghans.
During the last few decades after the Vietnam War, whenever the US invaded or attacked a country they did not leave the old regime intact. From Saddam, Serbian dictator, Kosovo, Bosnia, Libya, Iraq and Taliban each and every regime is gone and the country has not gone back to its previous rulers. It is about time the Taliban realize that they are not the only game in town and the US is not going to waste all its efforts and lives they have spent on Afghanistan. Taliban cannot even rule the northern part of the country and they have to join mainstream if they want any role. However, their rightwing friends in Pakistan would continue living in fool's paradise and keep dreaming and talking about the US defeat while accepting US aid.
Unknown mullah talking to unknown media what a crap ...................
This will be quickly derailed by conspiracy theorists. Also one thing that will cause it to go ignored is the fact that anyone willing to blow themselves up is already of the mind that "divine intervention" is a possibility.
He is right; Osama exploited pushtoons, while enjoying life in Abbottabad
Go ahead, make my day. Punk! -- Clint Eastwood
Incomplete news. If you were to look at the international news, there's one question that was asked on Pakistan's involvement to which he replied I dare not say anything about it. It pretty much addresses the elephant in the room i.e, the Taliban are under the thumb of their masters....ISI and Pak army. Bin laden in abbottabad, baradar in Karachi, taliban leadership in quetta, haqqani network, Hafiz Saeed, Ajmal Kasab, lakhvi, Abu Jandal.........the list goes on. None of these terrorists can exist or be found in any country without the active participation and support of state actors. You can deny all you want but the proof just keeps piling up as do your blind denials. To fix a problem is to first acknowledge it......do the pakistanis have the courage to accept it?
No name . Calling the bluff
That must be the 'bad Taliban'. The good Taliban is going to 'capture' Kabul. Is that not so ?
what a rubbish piece of news, Americans still think they are winning war! LMAO
Propaganda!
Yeah, "interview" or Semple's delusions.