The United States “would” face “consequences” if troops remain in Afghanistan past President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline, a Taliban spokesman warned.
Suhail Shaheen described the end of the month withdrawal date as a “red line” and could result in ramifications if U.S. troops remain beyond that date because “It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation, it will provoke a reaction.”
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“President Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it, that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” he told Sky News. “If the U.S. or U.K. were to seek additional time to continue evacuations — the answer is no. Or there would be consequences.”
Biden’s withdrawal date was pushed up from Sept. 11, which coincided with the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that precipitated the war in Afghanistan. He has indicated nonetheless that he’s open to keeping troops past the deadline to ensure U.S. citizens and Afghan allies are able to safely evacuate the country that’s now under Taliban control.
“Let me be clear: Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home,” Biden said on Friday. “I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or that it will be without risk of loss. But as commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary.”
Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated or helped facilitate the evacuation of approximately 37,000 people, and that number rises to about 42,000 people in the entire month of August.
“They occupied our country. If we occupy your country. What you will say to me? What if I killed your people in your country? What you will say?” Shaheen added. “I think all people suffered a lot. Bloodshed. Destruction. Everything. But we say the past is the past. Part of our past history. Now we want to focus on the future.”
Shaheen dismissed the scenes at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where people were seen clinging on to the outside of a U.S. military aircraft in a desperate attempt to get out of the country, chalking it up to those individuals wanting to live in a Western country.
“I assure you it is not about being worried or scared,” he claimed. “They want to reside in Western countries, and that is a kind of economic migration because Afghanistan is a poor country, and 70% of the people of Afghanistan live under the line of poverty, so everyone wants to resettle in Western countries to have a prosperous life. It is not about [being] scared.”
The group’s spokesman also characterized reports of Taliban violence and intimidation as “all fake news,” adding: “I can assure you there are many reports by our opponents claiming what is not based on realities.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday, however, that there have been “incidents” of Taliban violence against Americans trying to get to the Kabul airport to flee Afghanistan.
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“As we learn about those incidents — we certainly go back and engage the Taliban leadership and press home to them that our expectation is that they allow, you know, our people with the appropriate credentials to get through the checkpoints,” the secretary added.
Shaheen also said that under the Taliban’s rule, women will “have the same rights as you have in your country but with a hijab” and that women “will lose nothing” if they wear the traditional garment.
