Taliban refuses to accept Afghan govt as legitimate system ahead of peace talks

Ahead of the crucial intra-Afghan talks, the Taliban on August 16 said that it does not recognise the current Ashraf Ghani-led government as a legitimate system calling it a western imported structure. This comes days after the Loya Jirga, Afghanistan's grand assembly, accepted a resolution to release nearly 400 Taliban hard-liners as a goodwill gesture to start the much-awaited peace talks between the two warring factions in the country. A Taliban spokesperson on Sunday said that the "Islamic Emirate" does not view the Afghanistan government as a legitimate system accusing it of working for the continuation of the American occupation. 

Read: Paris Protests Against Release Of Taliban Prisoners Who Killed French Nationals

'Delay tactic' 

Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani's office has responded to the Taliban's remark by saying that it is nothing but another tactic to delay the peace talks. Earlier, when the grand assembly of Afghanistan on August 9 had accepted the resolution to release nearly 400 Taliban fighters, the fundamentalist group had called it a "positive step" towards reconciliation and had said that the talks would begin within a week of prisoners' release. The release of Taliban fighters from prisons was part of the historic peace-deal signed between the United States and the group in Doha this year, where it agreed to start the intra-Afghan talks after the condition was met by the Afghan government. 

Read: Afghanistan's Ghani Says Releasing Taliban Prisoners Might Pose Threat But 'necessary'

According to media reports, August 20 has been suggested as the possible start date of the peace talks between the two key stakeholders in Afghanistan. The peace talks are aimed at ending the 19-year-long war in the country, which according to the United Nations has claimed the lives of more than 34,000 civilians to date. 

Read: Afghanistan Government Releases 80 Out Of 400 Remaining Taliban Prisoners

Read: Taliban Says Ready To Start Peace Talks Within A Week Of Prisoners' Release