Taliban warn of 'reaction' if US doesn't withdraw by May deadline
By Ellen Mitchell - 03/19/21 01:37 PM EDT
The Taliban warned the United States on Friday that there will be a “reaction†from the insurgent group should Washington not follow through on a May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan.
The warning, which the Taliban issued at a press conference in Moscow, came a day after their negotiators met for Russian-led peace talks with senior Afghan government officials, the Associated Press reported.
“They should go,†Taliban negotiation team member Suhail Shaheen told reporters, adding that if U.S. troops stay past May 1, “it will be a kind of violation of the agreement. That violation would not be from our side ... Their violation will have a reaction.â€
“We hope that this will not happen, that they withdraw and we focus on the settlement, peaceful settlement of the Afghan issue,†Shaheen said.
The U.S. has been at war in Afghanistan since the 9/11 terrorist attacks launched by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden while he was based in the country. The subsequent American invasion overthrew the Taliban regime in Kabul, and U.S. forces have remained there ever since, making the conflict the United States’ longest-running war.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/544056-taliban-warn-of-reaction-if-us-doesnt-withdraw-by-may-deadline
