Kabul, March 27, (dpa/GNA) – Taliban militants have warned that they will resume attacks against foreign forces if they do not withdraw from Afghanistan by May 1, in response to US President Joe Biden this week offering an unclear timetable on when US troops would be withdrawn.
“All responsibility for the prolongation of war, death and destruction will be on the shoulders of those whom committed this violation,” the insurgent group said in a statement on Friday.
The May 1 deadline is part of an agreement the US administration under former president Donald Trump signed with the Taliban last year in Doha, Qatar. It’s now under review by the new US administration.
Under the deal, the United States promised to withdraw all US and international forces from Afghanistan. In return, the Taliban vowed to cut ties with al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups and enter into intra-Afghan peace talks.
Since the signing of the deal, there have been no attacks on US-led NATO forces in the country.
However, the Taliban has intensified attacks against the internationally backed Afghan government.
In addition, there is no tangible progress in ongoing peace talks between the representatives of the Taliban and the government that started in September.
On Thursday, Biden said that he “can’t picture” US troops still being in Afghanistan next year, but he did not offer a precise timetable.
The Taliban called Biden’s remarks “vague” and emphasize that the Doha agreement is the best option to end the past 20 years of war, adding that the group is committed to its part under the deal.
GNA