Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan says the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan is an important step in itself, the occupation must end so that people can decide their own destiny.

Iran PressAsia: "The US President Joe Biden Announced Full US Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan by Sept. 11. The withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan does not pose a problem for neighboring countries, and we believe that the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan is a threat to the region and its nature goes back to Afghanistan," Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told IranPress in an interview via telephone.

Mujahid said that 20 years have passed since the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan, and when they leave, people feel independent.

Stating that lasting peace in Afghanistan is not possible with the presence of foreign troops, the spokesman added: "Now maybe a better ground will be prepared for the Afghans to solve their problems and reach good agreements and a real Islamic government in which all Afghans participate." 

Zabihullah Mujahid stated that a real Islamic government must be formed in Afghanistan because the people have been at war for 40 years.

He said that if the supporters and opponents of the Taliban accept the Islamic government, the Taliban are ready to seize the opportunities, and peace will be achieved, but if they face the goals of the Afghan people, armed struggle is undoubtedly the solution, and Afghans are ready for it.

The Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan also spoke about the opposition of most Afghans to the Taliban, saying that rumors that the Afghan people did not support the Taliban were just propaganda. The Taliban have been fighting foreign forces for 20 years with the support of the people, and no country has helped us.

The spokesman also said about the virtual meeting of April 16, 2021, in India, focusing on peace in Afghanistan that, unfortunately, some countries in the region, including India, are trying to intervene in Afghanistan.

"The Indian government has provided military equipment to Kabul and even tried to keep American troops in Afghanistan, but India must understand the facts. The Afghan people are peaceful. If the neighboring countries respect us, the Taliban will have good relations with them. It will be diplomatic," Mujahid said.

The Taliban spokesman also called the Istanbul summit important but said that when they saw that some countries wanted to interfere in Afghanistan, the Taliban stopped the talks.

"As long as foreign forces are in Afghanistan, the Taliban will not participate in the talks because the Afghan people have the right to decide their own destiny, not under the presence of foreigners, so the Taliban are not currently attending the Istanbul summit," Mujahid noted.

"Currently, due to the lack of security in Afghanistan, the meetings are being held in Doha, and whenever foreign troops leave, the Afghan people will solve their problems inside the country," Taliban spokesman answered to a question that why peace talks were not being held in Kabul.

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