Taliban leader claims victory in Eid message

Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, has issued an Eid message claiming victories on the battlefield against Nato which was swiftly denounced by the commander of Nato troops in Afghanistan.
The rare seven-page statement from Omar, believed by Afghanistan to be hiding in neighbouring Pakistan, came yesterday as Muslims prepared for Eid ul-Fitre celebrations .
Defending peace overtures with the US, which were suspended earlier this year, Omar said the "unique distinction" of this year's summer offensive by the Taliban was that it had reached all areas of the country.
He said the offensive compelled Nato and Afghan government troops to adopt defensive positions.
In an apparent move to allay fears among some Taliban factions, Omar said that initial talks with the United States "had not meant submission or abandoning our goals".
Instead, he said, they had been aimed at initiating an exchange of prisoners, opening a political office and to "reach our goals".
Omar said the Taliban "will make efforts to reach an understanding with the Afghan factions in due time following [the] pull-out of the invaders".
Nato troops are due to withdraw by the end of 2014.
The Taliban have always refused to negotiate directly with the government of President Hamid Karzai.
General John Allen of Nato pilloried the statement as "an unmistakable message of death, hate and hopelessness for the Afghan people" on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Calling Omar a "deranged man" using "insane language", Allen scoffs at his call on Taliban militants to avoid killing civilians, pointing to the deaths of dozens of civilians in a series of suicide and bomb attacks this week.