Former Leaders Of Afghan Jihad Groups Demand That Taliban "share Power"

At the meeting in the Pakistani city of Peshawar which is near the border with Afghanistan and is the centre of the Pashtoon-inhabited North-Western province about 80 leaders of Afghan jihad groups have demanded that the Taliban hand over power in Kabul to a government which will be supported by a majority of the country's population. This was reported on Friday by the newspaper Pakistan Observer which writes in English. It points out that the former field commanders are influential in the provinces of Khost, Nangarhar, Paktia and Laghman and in the south and south-east of Afghanistan, which are inhabited mainly by the Pashtoons. The newspaper claims that the participants in the meeting have decided to start combat operations against the ruling regime of the Taliban if the latter "do not share power". Those present also accused the Taliban of intractability and support of "terrorist Number One" Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda grouping.