Mullah Omar: April Presidential Election in Afghanistan "Waste of Time," Only US Matters

Opposes plan to keep Western troops in Afghanistan past 2014

The Taliban have attacked the west's view that Afghanistan is now seeing steady if fragile progress in an annual statement from their leader that also sought to position the group as a viable political force that could lead the country.

The online statement on Tuesday was officially a congratulatory message from the leader, Mullah Omar, marking the Muslim holiday ofEid al-Fitr, which falls this week. But the missive has evolved into an annual political manifesto for the insurgent group.