Taliban appeals to Americans to rethink war

Kabul [Afghanistan], Feb 15 (ANI): Taliban insurgents issued an astounding 17,000-word appeal to the "American people", asking them to pressure the U.S. officials to end the 17-year-old conflict in Afghanistan.

The letter emailed to the media in English and four other languages contained official statistics about the human and economic costs of war.

Referring to the U.S. officials as "war-mongers" and usurpers, it also asserted that the protracted American "occupation" had brought only death, corruption and drugs to their impoverished country.

"Prolonging the war in Afghanistan and maintaining American troop presence is neither beneficial for America nor for anyone else," The Washington Post quoted the letter.

"Stubbornly seeking the protraction of this war will have dreadful consequences for the region and the stability of America herself," the document added.

The letter, sent under the banner of "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," was issued just weeks after a blitz of deadly insurgent attacks in the Afghan capital.

At least 25 terrorists belonging to the Islamic States (IS) group were killed in the airstrikes carried out by the United States in Afghanistan's northern Jawzjan province bordering Turkmenistan, on February 7.

Further, the letter's talking points included a list of goals that the U.S. government had set out to achieve in entering the war in Afghanistan, including eliminating terrorism, establishing the rule of law and eradicating drugs.

It also systematically presents arguments, backed up with international statistics, to show that these efforts have failed or have had extremely negative consequences.

"As confirmed by your own military authorities, 3546 American and foreign soldiers have been killed, more than 20,000 American forces injured and tens of thousands more are suffering mentally," the letter said, asserting that the actual casualty figures were much higher but were being "concealed" by the U.S. leaders.

The letter also said that there had been 751 U.S airstrikes in September.

"You should ask your generals that despite using such force, have you retaken even a single inch of land from the Taliban," the document asked.

The overall message of these arguments was that the American people should make a "rational" assessment of the war.

"You proclaim to be a developed and civilized nation. We leave it to your judgment to decide whether the prevailing conditions of insecurity, chaos and soaring drug problems in Afghanistan constitute reforms or crimes against humanity," it concluded. (ANI)