On the threshold of the intra-Afghan talks, which are expected to be held on Doha in the near future, the Taliban on Saturday issued a statement saying the group does not recognize the Afghan government as a legitimate system.

The statement was apparently issued in response to a recent statement by the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and one of his advisers on the peace process with the Taliban.

“The Islamic Emirate does not recognize the Kabul administration as a government but views it as western imported structure working for the continuation of American occupation,” the Taliban’s statement reads, in versions of English, Dari and Pashto.

“Two days earlier, an advisor to Kabul administration’s Arg stated that ‘intra-Afghan’ term ascribed to the negotiation process was incorrect and that talks were going to be held between the Kabul administration and Taliban along with other such remarks,” the statement said.

Also last week, the Taliban’s spokesman Suhail Shaheen in an interview with Iran's Hamshahri newspaper said that the group doesn’t recognize the government in Kabul as a legitimate government.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban-doesn%E2%80%99t-recognize-afghan-govt-statement