Taliban says foreign troops must go before peace talks as US plans 4,000-strong surge
NOVANEWS
In an annual address to followers, the Taliban’s leader warned against sending additional foreign troops to Afghanistan, saying that only after all foreign soldiers leave can peace be negotiated.
Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah spoke on Friday on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr festival, which ends the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. He reiterated that Afghanistan must be free of foreign occupation.
“The occupation is the main obstacle in the way of peace,” he said, referring to the presence of NATO troops in the country.
“The more they insist on maintaining the presence of their forces here or want a surge of their forces, the more regional sensitivity against them will intensify,” he added.
The remark apparently refers to reported US plans to deploy 4,000 additional troops to ...