The US “would” face “penalties” if troops stay in Afghanistan previous President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline, a Taliban spokesman warned.
Suhail Shaheen described the tip of the month withdrawal date as a “pink line” and will lead to ramifications if U.S. troops stay past that date as a result of “It’ll create distrust between us. If they’re intent on persevering with the occupation, it’ll provoke a response.”
‘MISCALCULATION’: BIDEN STRATEGY TO EVACUATE AFGHAN REFUGEES UNDER FIRE
“President Biden introduced that on 31 August they might withdraw all their navy forces. So in the event that they prolong it, which means they’re extending occupation whereas there isn’t any want for that,” he informed Sky Information . “If the U.S. or U.Ok. have been to hunt extra time to proceed evacuations — the reply is not any. Or there can be penalties.”
Biden’s withdrawal date was pushed up from Sept. 11, which coincided with the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist assaults that precipitated the warfare in Afghanistan. He has indicated nonetheless that he’s open to maintaining troops previous the deadline to make sure U.S. residents and Afghan allies are capable of safely evacuate the nation that’s now below Taliban management.
“Let me be clear: Any American who desires to return house, we’ll get you house,” Biden mentioned on Friday. “I can not promise what the ultimate consequence shall be or that will probably be with out threat of loss. However as commander in chief, I can guarantee you that I’ll mobilize each useful resource mandatory.”
Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated or helped facilitate the evacuation of roughly 37,000 folks, and that quantity rises to about 42,000 folks in the complete month of August.
“They occupied our nation. If we occupy your nation. What you’ll say to me? What if I killed your folks in your nation? What you’ll say?” Shaheen added. “I believe all folks suffered lots. Bloodshed. Destruction. Every little thing. However we are saying the previous is the previous. A part of our previous historical past. Now we need to give attention to the long run.”
Shaheen dismissed the scenes at Hamid Karzai Worldwide Airport in Kabul, the place folks have been seen clinging on to the skin of a U.S. navy plane in a determined try and get overseas, chalking it as much as these people desirous to stay in a Western nation.
“I guarantee you it’s not about being concerned or scared,” he claimed. “They need to reside in Western international locations, and that may be a sort of financial migration as a result of Afghanistan is a poor nation, and 70% of the folks of Afghanistan stay below the road of poverty, so everybody desires to resettle in Western international locations to have a affluent life. It’s not about [being] scared.”
The group’s spokesman additionally characterised reviews of Taliban violence and intimidation as “all faux information,” including: “I can guarantee you there are various reviews by our opponents claiming what will not be primarily based on realities.”
Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin mentioned on Sunday, nevertheless, that there have been “incidents” of Taliban violence in opposition to Individuals making an attempt to get to the Kabul airport to flee Afghanistan .
“As we study these incidents — we definitely return and have interaction the Taliban management and press house to them that our expectation is that they permit, you already know, our folks with the suitable credentials to get by way of the checkpoints,” the secretary added.
Shaheen additionally mentioned that below the Taliban’s rule, girls will “have the identical rights as you’ve got in your nation however with a hijab” and that girls “will lose nothing” in the event that they put on the normal garment.
