US will face the same fate as Soviet Russia, not withdraw from Afghanistan

Kabul/Washington: Taliban has issued a warning to the United States to exit from Afghanistan ‘The United States must learn a lesson from the defeat of the USSR in Afghanistan. If the United States wants to test the resolve and capabilities of the Afghan people, it is better that the United States gave up the thought.’ Only last week, special US representative Zalmay Khalilzad held discussions with the Taliban. Following that, it was reported that President Donald Trump was contemplating withdrawal of part of the military deployed in Afghanistan.

USSR had deployed military on a huge scale in support of the then Afghanistan government in the decade of 1970. But Afghan rebel groups with backing from the United States and Pakistan had forced the Russian military to retreat in 1979. This withdrawal has completed 39 years, and against this background, Taliban has warned the United States. Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, while urging the United States through a statement has also noted that henceforth, the relations with the United States will be political and economic.

The action against the Taliban had been intensified since Trump became the President of the United States. Although the US action is yielding good results, the Taliban attacks on the Afghan agencies have increased. It has been observed that the extent of territory under Taliban control also has also increased. In view of this, a faction in the United States is insisting that the United States should reduce its presence in Afghanistan.

At the same time, pressures are being exerted on NATO not to withdraw its military from Afghanistan. A US military officer had warned during a NATO meeting that if an appropriate decision in not taken regarding the NATO deployment, the NATO forces may face increasing attacks from the Taliban. In the light of this warning, NATO had clarified that the Military deployment in Afghanistan would continue.

NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg had announced that the NATO forces would not be withdrawn until there is a guarantee of long-term security and stability in Afghanistan. Whereas, the Chief of the Defence forces Joseph Dunford had warned that if the United States withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, there is a possibility of the terrorist groups emerging stronger once again and a threat of a 9/11 kind on the attack cannot be ruled out.