An Urdu daily reported that Maulvi Haibatullah Akhundzada, the emir of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban organization that signed a peace agreement with the United States in Doha on February 29, 2020), will sacrifice ten sheep to mark the "American defeat" in Afghanistan.[1] The Doha agreement requires, among other points, the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan.
The sheep will be sacrificed on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, the three-day feast of sacrifice starting on August 1, 2020. "In the joy of the speedy withdrawal of American troops and release of the Taliban prisoners [as mandated under the U.S.-Taliban agreement], the Taliban emir Maulvi Haibatullah Akhundzada will sacrifice ten sheep," the pro-Taliban Urdu daily Roznama Ummat noted in a report.[2]
"The Taliban leader has also directed 40 Taliban commanders and leaders, including 16 members of the Taliban's Leadership Council and 12 members of the Military Commission, not to offer their Eid prayers in Eidgahs [worship places] in view of like threats," the daily noted.[3]
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has published a statement on its website accusing Afghan President Ashraf Ghani of sabotaging the U.S.-Taliban deal in the hope of U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden winning the next president elections and scrapping the Doha agreement altogether.
Following is the text of the statement:[4]
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"The Opponents... Headed By Ashraf Ghani Are Using Various Techniques To Eliminate The Gained Opportunity Of Peace, To Continue The War"
"When termination of [American] occupation agreement was signed between the Islamic Emirate and the United States on 29th February of the ongoing year, a thunderbolt fell on the opponents of peace, specifically Arg [i.e. the Afghan presidential palace], as they lost all their senses and began giving priority to insults, taunts, and threats of war over logic and reason, going even as far as to launch an offensive against the mujahedeen!
"The opponents... headed by Ashraf Ghani are using various techniques to eliminate the gained opportunity of peace, to continue the war and preserve their illicit interests in its shadow. Ghani in so-called election campaigns and on various occasions afterwards stated: 'peace requires at least five years', meaning that he wants to continue the mass murder of Afghans for five more years, extend the war and continue playing with the destiny of the oppressed nation.
"The supposed intellectual in Arg thought that if [Donald] Trump's rival Joe Biden won the presidential elections, he would scrap the Doha agreement and perpetuate the occupation of Afghanistan. But Joe Biden — in an interview with CBS news — publicly stated something quite the opposite of what the intellectual [Ashraf Ghani] has though[t]. He said that he prioritizes the interests of America over anything else and does not place importance on who rules Afghanistan or the form of government. He added that he does not want to send his troops to Afghanistan to fight and die for so-called 'women rights.'"
"When America Accepted Its Defeat In Afghanistan, It Chose The Path Of Dialogue With The Islamic Emirate And Signed An Agreement... In Doha"
"The reality is that America is exhausted from the longest war of its history. It used every possible technique to win and exerted its best efforts to perpetuate the occupation of our beloved country Afghanistan. However, not only did it fail to see the rays of success but increasingly faced heavy resistance and jihad of the Afghan nation under the leadership of the Islamic Emirate which eventually led the U.S. to the conclusion that success in Afghanistan was impossible.
"So, when America accepted its defeat in Afghanistan, it chose the path of dialogue with the Islamic Emirate and signed an agreement with the Islamic Emirate in Doha after long, drawn-out negotiations some four months ago. The Islamic Emirate has proven its commitment to Doha agreement but America and the regime [in Afghanistan] it has propped up have repeatedly violated its terms. America must immediately begin implementing the agreed-upon terms in accordance with the agreed-upon timeframe stipulated in the Doha agreement and put an end to the root cause of [the] conflict.
"Arg and Ghani should not oppose peace in the hopes of Joe Biden's success. They must desist from intensifying the war, end erecting barriers in the way of peace and intra-Afghan negotiation, forgo the desire of power and personal interests, show compassion towards the oppressed nation and stop futile efforts of blocking the path of independence and establishment of an inclusive Islamic system in our beloved homeland!"
