Afghan Taliban call on Biden to abide by deal to withdraw US troops
US troops stand guard in Kabul. File/Reuters
Gulf Today Report
The Taliban said on Tuesday they expect Joe Biden, the next US president, to abide by the deal to withdraw US troops before May 2021 from Afghanistan.
In February, Outgoing US President Donald Trump's administration signed a deal with the Taliban to fully disengage from Afghanistan in exchange for subject to certain security guarantees, while the Taliban holds peace talks with the Afghan government in Doha.
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Groups such as the United Nations have also raised questions over Daesh with a senior UN official telling the BBC last month that the group were still “heavily embedded” with the Taliban.
Trump's administration signed a deal with the Taliban to fully disengage from Afghanistan.
Trump had made ending the war in Afghanistan a major campaign promise and had said in a Tweet in October that troops could be out of Afghanistan by Christmas, though officials such as his national security advisor have said that they were working to the May 2021 deadline.
Earlier, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on US President-elect Joe Biden to “help fight terrorism” and support Afghanistan’s shaky peace process by ensuring continued aid to Kabul.
The plea comes after Afghan lawmakers urged the new US leader to review the Trump-led campaign to force a complete withdrawal of American troops from the country.
“Afghanistan looks forward to continuing and deepening our multilayered strategic partnership with the US — our foundational partner — including in counterterrorism and bringing peace to Afghanistan,” Ghani said in a statement, congratulating Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their election victory.
Ties between Ghani and US President Donald Trump’s administration turned sour in recent months over Kabul’s exclusion from crucial behind-the-door talks between Washington and the Taliban, which led to the signing of a historic peace deal in February this year.
