KABUL - In a message delivered on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr on Tuesday, Mullah Omar, the fabled and elusive head of the Taliban, asserted that the militant group does seek to divide and destabilize Afghanistan.

In his message, Mullah Omar showed signs of commitment to the peace process, while also maintaining the Taliban's posture as representing the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" in negotiations, a claim that enraged the Kabul government when the group's Doha office was opened back in June and caused peace talks to end before they even began.

The Taliban commander also spoke about the upcoming elections in his message, calling them "symbolic," and saying that they would mark a new chapter in Afghanistan's history.

However, political experts have called the message nothing more than a propaganda stunt by the Taliban, which is looking to build a more positive image to garner greater public support. The experts stressed that such propaganda woudld not be very effective as long as the Taliban's insurgent operations continued to result civilian casualties.

In the message, Mullah Omar rejected the claims of Taliban involvement in burning down schools in Afghanistan. The insurgent leader made it clear that the Taliban does not aim to cause harm to Afghan civilians.

Syed Fazel Sancharaki, spokesman to the Nation Coalition Party (NCP), spoke out against the message, attempting to discredit it as a propaganda ploy. He emphasized that the Taliban cannot be trusted in its statements because the group has continuously failed to take any steps to curtail civilian casualties from the conflict.

"In his messages Mullah Omar asks his group members to ensure the safety of civilians, but last year an attack was carried out inside a mosque in Faryab province that left dozens dead and several others wounded," Mr. Sancharaki pointed out.

According to a report released by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the number of civilians killed in the conflict in 2013 was a marked increase from past years. Of the overall 38% increase in civilian casualties from 2012 to 2013, the report estimates 74% of the deaths have been caused by insurgent fighters.

In his message, Mullah Omar maintained the Taliban's stance against the presence of the US military in Afghanistan, perhaps alluding to ongoing discussions between the Kabul government and Washington regarding US-troop presence after 2014. The Taliban leader asserted that his group would never allow foreign elements to damage the country's relations with its neighbors or cause harm to its people in any way. (Tolo News)