Former NDS Chief Says Foreigners' Talks with Taliban Catastrophic

Peace talks between foreign forces and the Taliban will end up disastrous to the next government and the Afghan nation, former chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS) said on Wednesday.

Amrullah Saleh, former director of the Afghan spy organisation, said if the Taliban start competing with the government as a political force, this would be victorious for Afghanistan.

Mr Saleh said Pakistan wants the Taliban to remain as a military force against the government.

"Foreigners' engagement in peace talks with the Taliban will be catastrophic for the Afghan nation, system and future," he said in an exclusive interview with TOLOnews.

"If we turn into a careless nation and the US engages in talks with the Taliban then we wouldn't have any effect on the Taliban and the United States. At such a time who will represent the fate of this nation?" he asked.

He said President Obama pumped 3,000 additional troops into Afghanistan in a bid to neutralise parallel structures of the Taliban in some provinces, expansion of sovereignty of the central government to the Taliban-held parts and to strengthen Afghan security forces.

But none of the benchmarks were reached.

He highlighted the need for continuation of US technical assistance to Afghan security forces.

Afghan security forces will begin to shoulder security burden in seven provinces and districts in a couple of days.