Remove foreign troops or we fight on: Taliban

The Taliban has threatened to continue its ‘fight and jihad’ if foreign troops do not withdraw from Afghanistan by May, as agreed with the US.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right. meets with the Taliban’s Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, centre, in Tehran. Picture: AFP

The Taliban has threatened to continue its “fight and jihad” if foreign troops do not withdraw from Afghanistan by May, as agreed with the US.

A Taliban delegation headed by co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Iran’s capital last week and met Tehran’s top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday AEDT.

“The staying on of troops ­beyond 14 months, whether American or NATO troops, means the continuation of ­Afghanistan’s occupation,” Suhail Shaheen, a member of the movement’s negotiating team, said.

Washington struck a deal with the Taliban in Qatar last February to begin withdrawing its troops in return for security guarantees from the militants and a commitment to kickstart peace talks with the Afghan government.

“We have fought occupation for 20 years. Therefore, in that case, we are forced to continue our fight and jihad,” Mr Shaheen said.

The US has about 2500 troops in Afghanistan, down from close to 13,000 a year ago.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday urged new US President Joe Biden to put pressure on the Taliban and to avoid rushing into withdrawing more American troops.

His appeal came days after the Biden administration said it ­intended to reconsider last year’s agreement between former president Donald Trump’s administration and the Taliban.

“If they want to re-evaluate, they can, but they are obliged to remain committed” to the agreement, Mr Shaheen said.

The Afghan government blames the Taliban for the lack of progress in peace negotiations.

Kabul is pushing for a permanent ceasefire and to protect governance arrangements in place since the ouster of the Taliban by a US-led invasion after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

AFP