Taliban Attacks Obama in Online Magazine, Sets Conditions For Negotiations

The militant Afghani Taliban movement accused U.S. President Barack Obama of being "an enemy of Islam" even long before he ran for presidency in 2008, and warned the U.S. president that "God shall punish him if he unjustly attacked oppressed people," according to an article in the group's online magazine Somood. The article was written by Ikram Miyundi and appeared in the 36th issue of magazine, which was posted on the Internet today.

Another writer, Shehab Eddin Ghaznawi listed the conditions set by the Taliban to agree a peaceful settlement and negotiations with the U.S. over the Afghan problem in another article entitled "Obama Uses Contradicting Policies To Achieve His Goals."

The writer said conditions include setting Taliban prisoners free, removing the Taliban and its leaders from the U.S. terrorism list and withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan to allow for the Afghan people to choose their government "with their free will."

The group reserved a large portion of its magazine to expose what it described as U.S. atrocities against Afghan civilians and once again reassured its people that victory was around the corner, and that the country shall soon be "liberated."

The magazine also included an interview with the deputy head of Taliban's military committee in Paktika, Mohammed Basir Saheb Zada, who talked about the situation on the ground in his district and assured that NATO forces are cornered in specific locations in the area.

There were also articles about an increase in suicide rates among U.S. soldiers, U.S. media reports describing Taliban's propaganda endeavors as being successful and a description of the group's operations in Khost.