The Taliban will never enter into peace negotiations with any Afghan or Western authorities while foreign forces still remain in Afghanistan, and will continue to fight for the country's "freedom," a spokesman told CBC's As It Happens on Thursday.

Speaking on the telephone through an interpreter to host Carol Off from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi said peace talks would mean "we are playing with the future of the nation and it will be not good for the nation."

"We will never talk to anyone. We are not ready for peace talks," said Ahmadi.

He rejected suggestions that there may be some dissenting elements of the Taliban that favour negotiating with Afghan or Western parties, adding the Taliban is a group united under one leader — Mullah Omar, who went into hiding seven years ago.

Ahmadi's comments echo those made by other senior Taliban leaders of late, who have spurned recent attempts by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to reach out to them.

Defends suicide attacks

Ahmadi also offered a seemingly contradictory defence of an increased spate of suicide attacks across Afghanistan, saying the group never intended to target civilians.

"Our target is not to kill the civilian people. We are fighting for the freedom of Afghanistan, and until we … get the freedom of Afghanistan, we will fight," Ahmadi said.

"Taliban are brave and we are just looking where to attack on NATO forces or American forces or Canadians or the Afghan people who are working for the internationals," he said.

His comments came on the day eight civilians and a coalition soldier were killed following a suicide car attack on a U.S. military convoy in eastern Afghanistan. Three civilians, including one child, were killed in another suicide attack in Kandahar on Wednesday. The Taliban claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack. No group has yet said its responsible for the Thursday attack.

Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan, Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, has said the Taliban have shifted away from directly engaging NATO and Afghan troops in favour of higher-profile suicide and improvised explosive device attacks.

Meanwhile, Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan, Ron Hoffman, said in a Wednesday interview with CBC-TV's Politics that the increasing attacks were desperate acts of rebellion against progress.

Obama criticized

Ahmadi also condemned U.S. president-elect Barack Obama, saying his policies would represent a continuation of those favoured by the Bush administration.

"He is looking as cruel as Bush was. It is not a good news for Americans.… At least, it will not help for them, they are just crazy."

In the run-up to the election, Obama repeatedly said he would send additional troops to Afghanistan if elected.

"If [the United States] increase the soldiers in Afghanistan, the jihad against [Obama] will become serious."

When asked if he had a message for Canadians, Ahmadi called on Canada not to "kill their sons" by sending troops to fight in Afghanistan.

"I tell them to let Afghans to make their future by themselves and decide by themselves," he said.

"Afghanistan does not belong to America or Canada."

There are currently about 2,500 Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan, mostly in the volatile southern province of Kandahar. Since the Afghan mission began in 2002, 97 Canadian soldiers have been killed in the country.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pledged to pull all Canadian combat forces out of Afghanistan by 2011.