WASHINGTON – The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan ReconciliationAmbassador Zalmay Khalizad has reacted to the threats by Taliban groupregarding the suspension of peace talks.
“If the Talibs want to talk, we can talk. If they want to fight, we canfight. We hope that the Talibs want to make peace,” Ambassador Khalilzadhas said.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul in a statement said Ambassador Khalilzad made theremarks during a roundtable discussion with Afghan media on Wednesday.
Ambassador Khalilzad has further added “But if they (Taliban) do not chooseto come to the table, if they choose to continue fighting, the UnitedStates will stand with the Afghan people and the Afghan government andsupport them. We in the coalition are proud of our support to Afghansecurity forces. Afghan security forces and military pressure areimportant in this phase.”
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This comes as Taliban had earlier issued a statement threatening that thegroup would suspend talks if Washington refuses the inclusion of troopswithdrawal in the agenda of the talks.
The group issued a statement late on Tuesday claiming that “the UnitesStates agreed during Doha meeting in the month of November 2018 aboutdiscussing the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and preventingAfghanistan from being used against other countries in the upcomingmeeting.”
