Mullah Omar warns against US-Afghan pact

E-Paper | June 07, 2026

KABUL: Taliban leader Mullah Omar warned Sunday an agreement between Washington and Kabul on maintaining a US military presence in Afghanistan after 2014 would have “serious consequences”.

The United States and Afghanistan are negotiating the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) on the future of US forces in Afghanistan when Nato's mission ends in late 2014, including the number of bases and the status of any soldiers remaining there.

After marathon talks in Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced Saturday that they had reached a partial agreement, but had been unable to fully resolve the sensitive issue of American troop immunity.

“The invaders and their allies should understand (the signature) of the strategic agreement would have serious consequences for them,” Mullah Omar said in a statement posted on a Taliban website.

The reclusive one-eyed leader also warned the US the maintenance of its bases on Afghan soil “will never be accepted” and “armed jihad will continue against them with more momentum.”

The signing of a security agreement with the Americans would give the Afghan army, which is under-equipped and plagued by desertion, a supporting force after the withdrawal of 87,000 Nato troops by the end of 2014.

Despite the sticking point of troop immunity, US officials were upbeat about the progress of the BSA security deal negotiations on Sunday, as Kerry left Kabul for London.

“From our vantage, (the visit was) positive in that we reached a basic agreement on all the key issues,” a senior US official told reporters.

The departure of coalition troops will take place against a sensitive political backdrop, with Afghanistan's presidential elections scheduled for April 5.

In his statement, Mullah Omar reiterated that he “rejected” the elections, which he said were being manipulated by foreign powers, and called on Afghans not to participate.

The hardline Taliban regime was driven from power by a US-led coalition in 2001 for sheltering the Al-Qaeda leaders behind the 9/11 attacks.

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US, Afghanistan agree on draft security pact

Person

Oct 14, 2013 06:22am

The U.S. staying in Afghanistan will be a horrible mistake. Hasn't NATO already caused enough pain to the innocent Afghan people? 100,000 people have died as a result of the NATO invasion which is many times greater than the deaths caused by the militants.

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Hina

Oct 14, 2013 07:10am

USA should leave immediately empty handed, handing over all weapons, ships to Afghanistan.

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Ayaz

Oct 14, 2013 09:13am

Mullah Omar is working for a foreign country ... he does not think about Afghanistan security concerns and welfare....

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Jaihoon

Oct 14, 2013 10:20am

Mullah Omar ( the ugly and a pariah) is uttering such nonsense at the behest of his foreign masters; as the latter are scared of the US long-term military presence in Afghanistan, for reasons that need no elaboration.

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Aussie

Oct 14, 2013 12:08pm

Where this one eyed Desmond is hiding? GHQ............. :-)

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Akram

Oct 14, 2013 03:19pm

Mullah Umar, you have had your go. You are now finished. You will carry on on your drug financed 'jihad', but the Afghans backed with US money will eventually beat you. It will take another generation, but only when you are finally beaten will you understand that your political moves have been naive, foolish and its your countrymen who have had to suffer because of your ignorance and foolishness.

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Roxana R

Oct 14, 2013 08:59pm

I believe all Americans should leave Afghanistan, the sooner the better. I believe most Americans share that opinion, but the government not so much. I also believe that once non-Afghan forces leave, tribal warfare plus combat by militant Taliban will ensue. One wonders at the eventual outcome. Will Afghanistan hold out for any form of democracy, or descend into perpetual chaos or repression?

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Comm

Oct 15, 2013 04:04am

Of Course Mullah Omar will come back to power(if god willing),who is better to run this war tone country better than Mullah Omar !! these war lords and american allies??Oh muslim brothers and sisters we all been deceived by America and its allies in the name of war on terror,Its time to wake up !!

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El Cid

Oct 15, 2013 11:35am

@Akram:"Mullah Umar, you have had your go. You are now finished." Finished? I thought he had just begun... He knocked out one empire and is taking down the second superpower. Americans can't live without the drugs. They are the most drugged up people in the world. From childhood to old age. Take a look in their eyes. They have no soul. Life long use of drugs did it. Watch out, the new generation is like robots. They see life as a video game...no compassion, empathy, or sympathy: The emotions that make animals humans. Taliban\Mulla Omar reduced drugs to Zero. Americans raised them back up a thousand fold. These are UN facts. You need to study the stats provided by the UN. Pakis should stop living on illusion build up through lies and propaganda.

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El Cid

Oct 15, 2013 11:44am

@Person: "The U.S. staying in Afghanistan will be a horrible mistake." US is staying. It does what is best for it...not you.

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Roxana R

Oct 15, 2013 11:28pm

@El Cid: Actually, the poppy is and has been over time producing income for the Taliban. Yes, Taliban made a show of destroying poppy fields, but they had that huge stash of poppy crops to meanwhile continue funding them. Now, additionally, they are using bank robbery, kidnapping for ransom, extortion, the lumber and mining areas of Pakistan, and theft to fund them. The World Drug Report for 2013 of the U.N. (151 pages) indicates the leading use of heroin is in Iran and Afghanistan. The United States drug use status is below at least six other nations. Only 14.9 percent of Americans use drugs. Pakistan is long considered the drug trafficking hub, with Iraq and the Middle East opening up as hubs. Drug Use in Pakistan 2013 Report indicates that 6.4 million Pakistanis have used drugs in the past year. Try using real facts.

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MKK

Oct 16, 2013 01:37am

He should provide new picture of himself as this picture is horrible..

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Akram

Oct 16, 2013 03:24pm

@El Cid: I would request you to find out how the Taliban finances its 'jihad', every pakistani paper is saying the 3 main means are kidnapping innocents for ransom, opium trade and bank robbery. Don't take my word for it, do your own research. The answer will be right there in front of you.

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El Cid

Oct 17, 2013 04:59am

@Akram: Pakistani newspapers are not a reliable source of news. I thought it was common knowledge. Also the topic under discussion was drugs...you strayed.

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