Text: Taleban amnesty offer

The Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan's ruling Taleban has issued a statement offering to release eight international aid workers on trial for promoting Christianity if the US ends its campaign to isolate their movement.

The following translation is from the Reuters news agency.

A few days ago, the United States demanded that the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan ban the al-Qaeda group, extradite Osama Bin Laden and close down his camps.

They also asked for the release of eight foreigners detained on charges of promoting Christianity.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not received any evidence against Sheikh Osama Bin Laden for it to examine.

Taleban stress the need to alleviate Afghan suffering

If they call the military installations of the Islamic Emirates training camps and dub the mujahideen as terrorists then this is their mistake.

If under the pretext of humanity, the eight people are important then all those women, children and old people who have been stricken by drought, the cruel sanctions and the ongoing cold weather are important.

And these are those people who have been compelled to leave their homes for fear of attacks.

Are their rights not important?

If their aim is to attack their special targets of the Islamic Emirates then their hands are free to do so at a later stage.

If the United States mitigates the sufferings of the common people of Afghanistan and gives up its dire threats, then the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan can take steps to release those detained people.