Taliban Marks US Withdrawal From Afghanistan as Victory Over America and NATO
The Taliban administration has described the fifth anniversary of the departure of the last American soldier from Afghanistan as a victory over the United States and NATO, claiming that the people of Afghanistan, through “struggle” and “sacrifice,” drove foreign forces out of the country.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban administration’s spokesman, said in remarks marking Aug. 31 that the day is “proud” for the people of Afghanistan. He claimed that the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan over the past 20 years was not supported by the people, and that they had remained in the country by force.
In an interview with Ariana News, Mujahid also said: “This is a proud day for the people of Afghanistan; the foreign forces in Afghanistan, whom no Afghan supported the presence of, were here by force for 20 years, and this was the day when Afghans were able, through force of arms, struggle and sacrifices, to defeat them and expel them from Afghanistan.”
The Taliban administration spokesman also claimed that the withdrawal of foreign forces paved the way for freedom, an end to war, an end to insecurity and the reconstruction of Afghanistan. He said Afghans, after the departure of these forces, were able to work for “the reconstruction of the country, ending the war, ending insecurity and creating a government that can manage the entire country.”
At the same time, Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban administration, said in a separate message that on this day Afghans showed the world that their struggle and sacrifices for freedom pay off. He described the US military presence in Afghanistan as a “dark and bloody occupation.”
Without naming any country, Fitrat warned that any party intending to attack Afghanistan should know that the country is “an unconquerable land and the graveyard of empires.”
The last American forces withdrew from Afghanistan on Aug. 31, 2021, ending the US and NATO’s 20-year military presence in the country. After that, the Taliban administration regained control of Afghanistan.
