The Taliban on Monday accused the United States government of violating the US-Taliban agreement signed in February in Doha claiming US Forces had carried out airstrikes in Nangarhar, Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
In a statement issued by the group, the Taliban stated airstrikes had been conducted in support of Afghan troops who were carrying out ground operations in these areas.
The group stated the airstrikes were also carried out in non-combat areas,
“Such repeated violations by the Americans occurred two days ago when the US Secretary of State announced that (after the signing of the Doha Agreement, they were not attacked by the Mujahideen). This confession shows the commitment and commitment of the Islamic Emirate to the Treaty of Doha.”
“The Islamic Emirate warns once again that if the bombings and the Kandahar operation are not stopped as soon as possible and the bombings and operations against the Mujahideen continue contrary to the provisions of the treaty, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate will be forced to react seriously and the responsibility will be on the shoulders of the US government,” the group said.
This statement came just hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Taliban had not targeted American soldiers in Afghanistan in almost a year – since the signing of the US-Taliban deal.
However, the Afghan government responded sharply to this and a senior presidential official said on Sunday that the reason why the US has not suffered casualties among its forces in the past 10 months is because the foreign forces are no longer fighting.
Dawa Khan Meenapal said this was not because of the US-Taliban deal as Pompeo stated but because the US was no longer actively involved in the war on the ground.
Meenapal said the casualties are being sustained by the Afghan security forces and that the Taliban is now at war with the Afghan people and with the country’s own security forces.
Meshrano Jirga head Fazl Hadi Muslimyar meanwhile noted his dismay at the high levels of violence being meted out by insurgents against the Afghan people.
Sarcastically he said: “I want to congratulate the Taliban that no Americans have been killed in the past year, but dozens of Afghan soldiers have been killed.”
