welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. have the population is facing serious food insecurity. more than a million children are at risk from acute malnutrition.

and the taliban, they are focused on snuffing out our position and putting in strict control on women and girls. my guest is the former first vice president, now a senior figure in the national resistance front. he is internal resistance viable when afghans are starving? amrullah saleh, welcome to hardtalk. it is a year since the taliban slipped into kabul

and toppled the government of which you were a part of. will you acknowledge that this past year has been a year of failure from your point of view? for the taliban, _ from your point of view? for the taliban, it _ from your point of view? for the taliban, it has _ from your point of view? pr?" the taliban, it has been not only a year of failure, but it has exposed their intentions in face to the afghan people and they have brought disaster, starvation, displacement and they have basically pushed the women into shadows and all of those people who were architects of the handover of afghanistan, the taliban, justifying that they are change are responsible for this catastrophe.— are responsible for this catastrohe. ., . . catastrophe. you have chosen and that answer— catastrophe. you have chosen and that answer to _ catastrophe. you have chosen and that answer to focus - catastrophe. you have chosen and that answer to focus on . and that answer to focus on what you call the taliban's failings, i was thinking more about your own situation because when you are forced to flee from kabul, you took to

your valley home region, you told the people of afghanistan which would build a resistance and from there, you would topple the taliban. but obviously, when you're on, have failed. ., ., ., ., failed. no, we have not failed. he built the — failed. no, we have not failed. he built the resistance, - failed. no, we have not failed. he built the resistance, we - failed. no, we have not failed. he built the resistance, we did not give up or surrender or change or narrative. and we are still fighting and we brought down one of the mi17 helicopters, down one of the m117 helicopters, we have prisoners in our custody and as i said, it was a massive conspiracy to hand over this to the taliban but the very fact that we are still fighting and we have not given up is a magnificent hope for the afghan people. we cannot disclose location for security reasons, but we do know from readings inside the country that yes, there are

national resistance fighters in the mountains, particularly in and around the valley, but we also know is that the taliban of some thousands of reinforcements to confront your resistance fighters and as far as we can understand it, you don't have to supply lines nor the numbers to truly threaten the numbers to truly threaten the taliban's grip on power. figs the taliban's grip on power. as ou the taliban's grip on power. is you know in the taliban's grip on power. sis you know in this type of situation, the character of the struggle we have put is a partisan struggle. it is guerrilla warfare and in the guerrilla warfare and in the guerrilla warfare, the first and the foremost important factor you need is motivation of the people to assist the freedom fighters that we have got. we also have massive assistance provided to us by the afghan diaspora and we have managed to create underground

supply lines. we have weapons and we have ammunition and we have challenged the taliban takeover of afghanistan. you're right, we have not been able to capture a province, but in this type of battle, there is a very old notion and saying. if the enemy cannot crush you, you emerge stronger, we have emerged stronger and it's a matter of time and insurgency is like a drop of oil put on a page of a piece of paper and it starts from a small area and within a matter of time, the whole place is grip. using a protraction of insurgency against the cruel taliban regime and its giving hope to the people. to regime and its giving hope to the maple-— regime and its giving hope to the people. to what extent is this personal? _ the people. to what extent is this personal? i _ the people. to what extent is this personal? i know- the people. to what extent is this personal? i know you - the people. to what extent is | this personal? i know you have been confronting her fighting the taliban in different ways

for most of your adult life. you have lost friends, associates and family members and indeed, ithink associates and family members and indeed, i think i'm associates and family members and indeed, ithink i'm right in saying that your brother was killed by the taliban after the takeover just last september. are you motivated by personal reasons as much is anything right now?— reasons as much is anything riahtnow? ~ , ., ., right now? absolutely. you are riuht. right now? absolutely. you are right- it's _ right now? absolutely. you are right. it's for me _ right now? absolutely. you are right. it's for me personal, - right. it's for me personal, ethnic, nationaland right. it's for me personal, ethnic, national and political, all combined. and i think i am, in that circumstance, an embodiment of most of those opposing the taliban, are, various layers of motivations to stand against this very cruel dictatorship which the afghan history has seen. the country cannot _ afghan history has seen. the country cannot stand war,

canada? the country has been at war in one form of another for many decades but right now, you are living with the worlds biggest humanitarian catastrophe, more than half of the people inside afghanistan appear to be the people inside afghanistan appearto be in the people inside afghanistan appear to be in some way or another, threatened by starvation. either acute or longer—term and in that contest, it doesn't really seem viable. . , . , contest, it doesn't really seem viable. . , ., ., viable. that is a very narrow definition — viable. that is a very narrow definition of _ viable. that is a very narrow definition of the _ viable. that is a very narrow definition of the situation. l definition of the situation. the country cannot also live with dignity, the country cannot allow it to, allow edsel to be crushed day and night by a very repressive clerical dictatorship who were preaching about death and afterlife. and i do not know. if you look at it from the materialistic view,

the argument is valid. but as human beings, we do not live just for food. there human beings, we do not live just forfood. there is human beings, we do not live just for food. there is a factor of dignity, our souls. just for food. there is a factor of dignity, oursouls. i factor of dignity, our souls. i don't know where you're speaking from, but what i do know is ordinary afghans inside the country are facing the most terrible choices on a daily basis. to quote the leader of save the children, parents are going to have to make impossible decisions, which of their children to the feed? debates and their children to work if they are lucky, or do they let them starve? and in that context, do you think they should be taken up arms and fighting? should be taken up arms and fiuuhtin ? , , should be taken up arms and fiuuhtin? ,, . ., ., fighting? preps the director of that agency — fighting? preps the director of that agency is _ fighting? preps the director of that agency is absolutely - fighting? preps the director of that agency is absolutely right j that agency is absolutely right but the report should not forget that the matter of all of this evil is something called the taliban and

terrorism and the death and destruction they brought to our nation. if they had agreed to a peace process, afghanistan but not of been abandoned, if they agree to a peace process, there would've been no brain drain, if they had agreed to a peace process, democracy would not of fallen and if they had agreed to a peace process, we would've had a small middle class staying in afghanistan and the flow of money would've continued. so, the disaster today and my country is not the go to the resistance, it is the guilt of the taliban whose leaders are terrorists who on the list of the un and western world and we should not forget the big picture, these people are responsible for the catastrophe in the tragedy that afghanistan is going through. after the august 15 taliban takeover, many countries including the united states cut financial assistance to afghanistan, froze

afg hanistan's reserves afghanistan, froze afghanistan's reserves in the us financial institutions and the whole bout of other things that led to the collapse of the afghan economy. for agencies like the world food programme is the world needs to put huge amounts of funding into afghanistan to avert catastrophe. do you support internationalists distance now going into afghanistan? thea;i going into afghanistan? they are namely — going into afghanistan? they are namely pressuring - going into afghanistan? tue: are namely pressuring the taliban but on the other hand, they have provided $1.1 billion in the name of humanitarian assistance which has assisted the taliban to consolidate and the taliban to consolidate and the zero of supervision as to how the system is being distributed or spent. forgive me for interrupting - distributed or spent. forgive me for interrupting but - distributed or spent. forgive me for interrupting but the l me for interrupting but the world food programme, i know the un agencies, the 1.1 billion is nowhere near enough, at least two more billion needs

to be done to afghanistan now to be done to afghanistan now to stop people dying. are you telling me that you do not want that money to be delivered because you do not want the taliban to be involved in receiving it?— taliban to be involved in receivin: it? ~ , receiving it? when they were aaivin receiving it? when they were giving money _ receiving it? when they were giving money to _ receiving it? when they were giving money to the - receiving it? when they were | giving money to the republic, they had a system to also have scrutiny of her own income. but now they're sending that money to the taliban without asking the taliban what they do with the taliban what they do with the income they have from the union. which is an away, a very discreet way, it's consolidating the taliban rule. the conditions for supervision, monitoring and also accountability, what we're seeing, this so—called humanitarian assistance is helping the taliban to consolidate. commencing the afghan people should be led by, but the west is guilty and what they are doing is sending $40

million a week without knowing where it goes. to million a week without knowing where it goes.— where it goes. to be clear, do ou where it goes. to be clear, do you want _ where it goes. to be clear, do you want that _ where it goes. to be clear, do you want that flow _ where it goes. to be clear, do you want that flow of - you want that flow of international assistance money to stop? t international assistance money to sto - ? ., international assistance money to sto - ? . ., international assistance money to sto? . ., ., international assistance money tosto? . ., ., ., to stop? i want that flow of international _ to stop? i want that flow of international money - to stop? i want that flow of international money to - to stop? i want that flow of international money to be i international money to be supervised by a and partial bodies. but the taliban chooses who receives assistance in the province in the north of kabul, but that district has received 15 rounds of assistance, and we have only received two or three rounds of assistance. this assistance because there's not much scrutiny and supervision, it is consolidating the taliban rule. is a time for you to think about putting down your guns think about putting down your iun , ., , ., ~' think about putting down your

guns stop talking about armed resistance _ guns stop talking about armed resistance and _ guns stop talking about armed resistance and think— guns stop talking about armed resistance and think of - guns stop talking about armed resistance and think of ways . guns stop talking about armed | resistance and think of ways to engage in dialogue, build some bridges to the taliban, particularly in the context of catastrophes that we've just been discussing? we catastrophes that we've 'ust been discussing?* catastrophes that we've 'ust been discussing? we have been talkin: been discussing? we have been talking about — been discussing? we have been talking about these _ been discussing? we have been talking about these talks - talking about these talks and political settlements for over a decade and what we got was roadside bombs, urban bombings, massacres, assassinations, sticky bombs, lies, falsehoods and the names of peace process, forcible takeover of the country. so, you're asking this from the wrong person. you have to ask this from clerics who are supporting the pakistani army and intelligence have taken my country. we seek interviews _ taken my country. we seek interviews with _ taken my country. we seek interviews with the - taken my country. we seek interviews with the taliban | taken my country. we seek- interviews with the taliban and ask them tough and challenging questions as well but the challenging question for you and a sense, is raised by a

party that says, all sides need to find a way to sit down. he is promoting a compromise plan that would involve the taliban cutting ties with, he calls terrorist allies, committing to long—term political processes, including elections, guaranteeing rights, including rights for women, yes, the taliban would have to do that but in return, the international community should remove the taliban from various blacklists should recognise the taliban government and you should agree to sit down with the taliban and recognise that they are in power today. are you ready to do that? ti they are in power today. are you ready to do that?- you ready to do that? if the taliban agree _ you ready to do that? if the taliban agree to _ you ready to do that? if the taliban agree to put - you ready to do that? if the taliban agree to put a - taliban agree to put a timetable for a referendum or elections of the people can choose that character and determine the character of the

state we will sit with the taliban. but if they are inviting us for allegiance and for accepting this illegitimate, criminal syndicate called the taliban, we will never bow and we are ready to give more sacrifice and i think, if the international community recognises this cruel, inhumane regime, it will further enforce the conspiracy theories and the handover of afghanistan was an international conspiracy to prepare for the new cold war and the collateral wars in afghanistan and victimise the republic and the population of afghanistan. the west is guilty and they have to help the afghans create a legitimate estate. recognition of the taliban will intensify the

civil war, and it will lead to massacre and it will lead to unprecedented levels of violence in the country is not seen and we are ready to stop armed resistance but there is a mechanism that will ensure the referendum or the election is hallet and if the taliban when for sure, we will accept that legitimacy but we will not surrender to a group that is come to power through a conspiracy. come to power through a conspiracy-— come to power through a conspiracy. come to power through a consira . ., . ., , conspiracy. your narrative is still based _ conspiracy. your narrative is still based upon _ conspiracy. your narrative isj still based upon afghanistan being betrayed by some sort of western conspiracy, one year on from the taliban takeover and you fleeing kabul, it seems you accept no culpability, no responsibility at all. know, i do accept — responsibility at all. know, i do accept a _ responsibility at all. know, i do accept a lot _ responsibility at all. know, i do accept a lot of— do accept a lot of responsibility. the time of

your programme is very short, so i'm not going to go into nuances and details of where we are and where we are accountable to our people but if you look at the picture, and the name of peace process, americans actually saw the resume change and when they took their citizens to the airport, the afghan estate and the tip the balance of power in favour of the taliban and all the conspiracies.— favour of the taliban and all the conspiracies. you seem to be ignoring — the conspiracies. you seem to be ignoring a _ the conspiracies. you seem to be ignoring a basic _ the conspiracies. you seem to be ignoring a basic truth - the conspiracies. you seem to be ignoring a basic truth that. be ignoring a basic truth that the americans ploughed tens of billions, may be 80 or $90 billions, may be 80 or $90 billion and afghanistan. they hoped they were building a credible, coherent government but after what happened in august of last year, it was clear that you and others had built no meaningful loyalty to the armed forces of

afghanistan, between the public and the government, there was nothing but mistrust in the levels of corruption and you surely have to take the blame for that. t surely have to take the blame for that. ., . ~' surely have to take the blame for that. ., ., ,, , ., for that. i do take the blame where it is — for that. i do take the blame where it is my _ for that. i do take the blame where it is my responsibility| where it is my responsibility but those billions of dollars of american or western money, they never came through the afghan government and institutions, the came through private security companies, nongovernmental organisations, contracts and they the logistical system which made the afghan institution dependent on their own presence and you hearfrom dependent on their own presence and you hear from the mouth of the general, cia director and also those who served in afghanistan. the symbol of the west did was criminal and the reason for the collapse of the african republic was the lack of commitment, narrative and the lack of solid commitment and narrative from the west,

particularly the united states and we were lied to and we rely to all the way to august. and i was there and we met president biden, everything he said to her was proved to be alive. what is your attitude towards the americans now, i don't know where you are now but your claiming is of to be the legitimate leader of afghanistan but clearly, that is theoretical, not practical and if you do not get support from the outside, it's hard to see how your armed resistance is ever going to threaten the taliban. you need the united states and other allies to provide you with support. the way you are talking, there is not a hope on earth that the united states is going to offer you support. the united states is going to offer you support-— united states is going to offer you support. the united states is not god _ you support. the united states is not god and _ you support. the united states is not god and they _ you support. the united states is not god and they are - you support. the united states is not god and they are not - you support. the united states is not god and they are not thej is not god and they are not the only country in the world. hope is not related to washington

and what they think and hope, our definition of hope today's different. we are not seeking western assistance. shire different. we are not seeking western assistance.- different. we are not seeking western assistance. are you in contact with — western assistance. are you in contact with the _ western assistance. are you in contact with the americans - contact with the americans today? contact with the americans toda ? ., , today? the last time i contacted _ today? the last time i contacted the - today? the last time i i contacted the americans today? the last time i - contacted the americans was a couple a few days after the collapse of kabul and the message was, very clear to me and their decision is, to completely go out and today, it's very clear, it's much cheaper for them to allow this taliban who are running my country. and this space after 9/11, it would not be existent in the proved to be shallow and

terrorists govern the space and the name of afghanistan. everything nursing contradicts from one of your colleagues in the resistance said last month. they said it is very crucial for the international community to support our efforts in any way that is possible in order to contain what he calls terrorism inside afghanistan. she says we need assistance and you said forget about assistance, that is not our future? �* ., assistance, that is not our future? ., assistance, that is not our future? �* ., ., �* future? i'm not saying we don't need assistance, _ future? i'm not saying we don't need assistance, i'm _ future? i'm not saying we don't need assistance, i'm saying - future? i'm not saying we don't need assistance, i'm saying we | need assistance, i'm saying we not wasting our time to go to western capitals who have, based on geopolitical calculations, taking their decision to outsource afghanistan to pakistanis and allow pakistani creative camps named taliban to run afghanistan commotion should not waste our time trying to convince them to assess this. but we are struggling is creating a bigger alliance for

ourselves, becoming actuality and become relevant, whether the west likes it or not, they will have to engage with the sometimes in the future and they, as i said, they knowingly allowed the taliban to take over the peace process was not peace process, it was a process for regime change.— for regime change. beside the us launched — for regime change. beside the us launched a _ for regime change. beside the us launched a strike _ for regime change. beside the us launched a strike inside - us launched a strike inside kabul, which killed the leader of al-qaeda. i'm interested for you as an afghan and you claim to still have support inside the country, are you supportive of these so—called over the horizon us military strikes inside afghanistan or not? i would have supported that if they were not hypocrites. they are allowing ten people in the taliban cabinet on whose head

there is a bounty to go around and they selectively kill one terrorist which means, washington, unlike where there is saying, there are good terrorists and their bad terrorists. it is very clear that they have come to some type of secret agreement with some terrorists and they have killed and absorbs some of their past sentence. you seem resi . ned their past sentence. you seem resigned and _ their past sentence. you seem resigned and weary. _ their past sentence. you seem resigned and weary. you've i resigned and weary. you've written off american assistance, you acknowledge that your fighters in the valley have only a limited capacity to resist. it seems like in this long struggle you've had with the taliban, you've had with the taliban, you have lost?— you've had with the taliban, you have lost? no, we have not lost, we you have lost? no, we have not lost. we are _ you have lost? no, we have not lost. we are a — you have lost? no, we have not lost, we are a constituency - you have lost? no, we have not lost, we are a constituency and| lost, we are a constituency and we will never lose. we stand in our foundation is for people to

put their resistance and am my weary and angry yes, we are very angry. he paid a heavy price but we have not lost. we are gaining and i didn't say we have limited capability, we are building a capability and i cannot call it limited. insurgency starts from a place in the prep tracks. six months ago, it was one valley, today it is six valleys and i hope next year will be 60 valleys and we will defend our dignity, our land, our homes and we will regain our country. i’m our land, our homes and we will regain our country.— regain our country. i'm sorry to say that _ regain our country. i'm sorry to say that we _ regain our country. i'm sorry to say that we have - regain our country. i'm sorry to say that we have to - regain our country. i'm sorry to say that we have to end i regain our country. i'm sorry to say that we have to end it there but i think you for joining us on hardtalk. thank you very much.

hello. there will only be a few exceptions to the hot and sunny story over the next few days. so far this week, we've got above 30 degrees three times, 32 celsius on wednesday afternoon. the heatwave intensifies further through the rest of the week and into the weekend. we could have four consecutive days above 35 degrees, more than we saw back in 1976. the highest of the temperatures are in the area covered by the met office extreme heat warning, an amberwarning, health and transport impacts expected — leeds, liverpool, down the way to the south coast. and it's this area, under high pressure, where we'll also see heat build elsewhere. but notice weather fronts very close to the north of scotland. this is your exception. here, through the night and into the morning, we'll have had some rain, temperatures not dropping away much. maybe a little bit fresher through scotland, northern ireland, parts of northern england,

but a warmer night and start to thursday morning in the south. a few mist and fog patches clearing, dry and sunny for many, but across the western isles, 0rkney, shetland, the northwest highlands, rain will come and go through the day. 14—18 celsius here, but 27, 28 eastern scotland, 27 in parts of northern ireland, 35 degrees, potentially, to the south midlands, that heat continuing to build. now, as we go into thursday evening and overnight, more cloud, occasional rain or drizzle in the north of scotland. chance of a few mist and fog patches close to eastern coasts of england and scotland too, but night by night, temperatures starting to creep up a little bit as well. friday, we do it all again. some early morning mist and fog in the east, one or two patches close to eastern coasts, a greyer outlook across the north of scotland but not as wet as it'll have been for some on thursday. under sunny skies and light winds elsewhere, we'll see temperatures climb, potentially 36, maybe 37 celsius, through the south midlands. a little bit fresher down some eastern coasts.

coolest of all, though, in the far north of scotland. by the start of the weekend, probably a better chance of some sunshine in the far north of scotland, but a better chance of some low cloud continuing, eastern coast of scotland, northeast england, limiting the temperatures in aberdeen a little bit. 26 inland, 27 to northern ireland, again, 36 or37 in some parts of southern england. that warmth and heat continues into sunday, but a slot of something changing. a bit more cloud, the chance of a few storms around later on sunday into monday, bringing a drop in temperature. but even though those storms may occur into next week, they'll be fairly sporadic, many places probably staying largely dry. and, of course, we need a good deal more rain.

investigating the business practices of the trump organisation has called it a witch hunt. dozens of people are missing after a boat laden with migrants sinks off the creek codes, rescue operation is under way. china reaffirms that it could take taiwan by force. us house speaker nancy pelosi has visited sparta china strolls around the island defensive trip. we strolls around the island defensive trip.— strolls around the island defensive trip. we will not allow china _ defensive trip. we will not allow china to _

defensive trip. we will not allow china to isolate - defensive trip. we will not. allow china to isolate taiwan.