Taliban says it has the right to react if U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan New conflicts

A spokesman told Al Jazeera that if Washington retains 650 troops beyond the Sept. 11 deadline, it will be a “clear violation” of the agreement.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview that the armed group has a “right to react” from September 11 if the U.S. retains troops in Afghanistan when the withdrawal is about to end.

U.S. officials told the Associated Press on Thursday that about 650 U.S. soldiers were expected to be in Afghanistan to provide security to diplomats when Washington withdrew its forces to end the country’s 20-year military presence.

In response to the report, Shaheen told Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid in Doha that if the U.S. did so, they would violate a rule agreement It was intended to end the longest-running U.S. war between Washington and the Taliban in February 2020.

“We have signed a free agreement and that was negotiated with the American side for 18 months. They have agreed and are committed to withdrawing all their military, advisers and contractors from Afghanistan,” Shaheen said.

“I think the violation of that agreement is clear,” he added.

“If they stay here, I think it’s a kind of follow-up to the occupation. They have been raped and we have every right to react, ”Shaheen said.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan in mid-April to September 11, adding several months to the May 1 deadline reached in the agreement reached between his predecessor, Donald Trump and the Taliban administration and the Taliban. Government of Afghanistan.

The last withdrawal of soldiers ordered by Biden began on May 1 when the number of U.S. troops ranged from 2,500 to 3,500, and all international troops, including 7,000 NATO troops, which could be completed by July 4, are due to leave by September 11th. .

Shaheen told Al Jazeera that the Taliban had pledged to provide a safe passage for U.S. forces as they withdrew from Afghanistan and that no armed groups would attack them.

“We stayed true to that,” Shaheen said.

“We didn’t attack them when they retired. Even if [when] they violated their full withdrawal from Afghanistan on May 1 – however, we have not attacked them while we are fully capable of doing so. “

Fears of a government collapse

The withdrawal is one of the most significant territorial gains the Taliban has made since the U.S. and NATO withdrawal began, fueling fears in the West that the Afghan government and its army could fall in months.

The Taliban have crossed dozens of districts and are stepping up attacks on government officials.

Speaking in Paris on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged that attacks on Afghan forces were on the rise and that Washington was assessing whether the plans for peace were realistic.

“We are looking closely at the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and we are working very hard on whether the Taliban is at all serious about a peaceful solution to the conflict,” Blinken said.

“We remain committed to diplomacy, but the actions that the country would try to take by force are completely inconsistent with finding a peaceful solution.”