AFGHAN Taliban leader Mullah Omar backed peace talks with the Kabul government in a statement released yesterday, provided they would lead to the “end of occupation” by foreign forces.

Mullah Mohammad Omar’s message was released ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In the statement, he also urged Muslim leaders around the world to unite and pledged to continue jihad (holy war) until foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

“The objective behind our political endeavours, as well as contacts and interactions with countries of the world and our own Afghans, is to bring an end to the occupation and to establish an independent Islamic system in our country,” Mullah Omar said.

Brief Pakistani-hosted peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban earlier this month — mediated by China and the US — ended on a positive note, with a commitment to further negotiations after the end of Ramadan.