Taliban Co-Founder Talks War and Peace

He was at the heart of the Taliban movement that once was host to Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. In an exclusive interview with Die Weltwoche, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef reflects on America's longest war and the prospects of peace. "We are not able to lead Afghanistan without women support, without education for all,” says the former inmate of Guantanamo Bay. "There must be justice for all."

Editor’s note: This interview was conducted in February 2020.
On the minute, at the appointed time, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef opens the large metal gate to his estate, west of Doha, Qatar. His beard is greyed, his posture slightly bent, gait slow. He greets me with a gentle smile.
His modest appearance, however, is deceiving. Zaeef, 52, is one of the Taliban’s most sophisticated insiders. After the attacks of 9/11, the savvy spokesman instantly became the most prominent face of the Taliban. As the group’s ambassador to Pakistan, Zaeef held regular press conferences in front of a curious world press while American soldiers bore down on the rugged and forbidding mountain fort ...