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War is imposed on us by US, we can fight it for 100 years, Taliban tells RT after talks cut off ‘We can fight Americans for 100 years,’ Taliban tells RT after scrapped peace talks
(about 7 hours later)
Talks with the Taliban to put an end to the longest of America’s forever wars were killed off by the US last week. The Afghan militant movement is prepared to fight a hundred more years, its chief negotiator told RT. After talks with the Taliban to end to the US ‘forever war’ were killed off by Washington last week, the Afghan militant movement is prepared to fight the “imposed” conflict for another hundred years, its chief negotiator told RT.
The peace negotiations between the US and the Taliban were called off by President Donald Trump days ahead of a planned signing of a formal agreement. The draft has even been initialed by both parties and Qatar, which mediated in the talks, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who headed the Taliban’s delegation, told RT. As far as the Taliban is concerned, the US decision can be easily reversed and the agreement put into force as agreed, he said. The year-long peace process was shut down by President Donald Trump just days ahead of a formal signed agreement. The draft had even been initialed by both parties, top Taliban negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai told RT. He added that he does not see the US decision as set in stone, however, and said the group remains committed to negotiations.
“We are still committed to the negotiations. Our stance is that there is no solution to the conflict except negotiations and except peace on the table. We hope that Mr. Trump rethinks his announcement and comes back to where we were,” the official said. “Our stance is that there is no solution to the conflict except negotiations and except peace on the table,” Stanikzai said. “We hope that Mr. Trump rethinks his announcement and comes back to where we were.”
Trump cited an attack by the Taliban, which killed a US soldier stationed in Afghanistan, as the reason for the surprise cancellation of the talks. The militants say their attacks were well justified by attacks against them by the US and the Afghan security forces. They see the Americans as a foreign occupying force and themselves as freedom fighters and protectors of the Afghan civilians, who are injured and killed when the US attacks the Taliban, which regularly conducts terrorist attacks. The talks were ostensibly called off over a Taliban car bombing that killed a US soldier stationed in Kabul last week – along with nearly a dozen Afghan civilians – with President Trump abruptly cancelling a planned meeting with the militant group at Camp David. The Taliban argues their bombings are a justified response to ongoing attacks by American and Afghan forces, and insist they are defending their land from a hostile foreign occupier.
“The war was imposed on us. It is American soldiers who are in Afghanistan. It’s not our mujahedeen in Washington,” he said. He added that Trump’s justification for stopping talks clashed with statements by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who appeared on TV the following day and said the US killed “over 1,000 Taliban” over ten prior days, as negotiations were under way. Stanikzai was skeptical about the president's reason for stopping the talks, arguing it clashed with statements by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who appeared on TV the following day and bragged that the US had killed “over 1,000 Taliban” over the previous ten days, even as the negotiations progressed.
“Mr. Pompeo admitted that they have killed a thousand Taliban,” Stanikzai pointed out. “If they can kill a thousand of us, why can we not kill one or two of them? This is our right. We have to defend ourselves and defend our people.” “If they can kill a thousand of us, why can we not kill one or two of them?” Stanikzai asked. “This is our right. We have to defend ourselves and defend our people.”
The Taliban representative said the Trump administration proved to be no different to that of Barack Obama, which also held peace talks with the Afghan militants before ending them at the last moment. He questioned Washington’s commitment to resolving the situation and ending what is now a 19-year-long anti-insurgency war that the US apparently cannot win through military force. The Taliban representative said President Trump has failed to distinguish himself from his predecessor Barack Obama, who also attempted peace talks with the Afghan militants before changing course at the last moment. He questioned Washington’s commitment to ending what is now a 19-year-long counter-insurgency, and vowed to continue fighting as long as there is a US presence.
“If the American side is not willing to negotiate and they do not want peace on the table, we will be compelled to defend ourselves,” he said. Only after a formal agreement is signed and American troops are pulled out of Afghanistan can the Taliban settle its differences with other Afghan political factions, including the US-backed government in Kabul, Stanikzai said, calling for “inter-Afghan talks” and a “comprehensive ceasefire.”
Stanikzai reiterated that only after a formal agreement is signed and US troops are pulled out of Afghanistan would the Taliban be able to settle its differences with other political forces in Afghanistan, including the US-backed government in Kabul. The Taliban delegation visited Moscow this week as part of regular meetings with Russian officials, which have continued parallel to the American talks with the militant group brokered by Qatar.
“We need a practical thing. When it is signed, there will be [a] ceasefire between us and the American forces. We will give safe passage to the American forces,” he said. “When they go out, inter-Afghan talks can start and a comprehensive ceasefire and other domestic issues can be discussed.” The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City and Washington, DC. US officials accused the Taliban of harboring members of Al-Qaeda, the terrorist group behind the infamous attack. The war has dragged on for nearly two decades, and has cost American taxpayers some some $877 billion dollars as of March 2019. This includes both fighting the Taliban and trying to rebuild what was left in its wake.
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