Taliban calls on US to stop evacuating skilled Afghans
A Taliban spokesman said Tuesday the United States should stop evacuating skilled Afghans and warned Western forces not to extend the 31st August deadline for air travel.
The Americans took “Afghan experts” with them as engineers from Afghanistan, the group said.
“We ask you to stop this process,” said spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid at a press conference in Kabul.
The Taliban’s top spokesman made a series of demands live on Tuesday as US-led forces stepped up operations to evict thousands of people from Kabul.
The spokesman reiterated the group’s earlier announcement that the Taliban would not allow the United States to extend the deadline for a full withdrawal next week.
“They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here,” said Mujahid.
President Joe Biden hopes to meet the August 31 deadline he has set for the withdrawal of US forces but faces pressure from European allies and Britain to exceed that date.
As per the US government, around 50,000 foreigners and Afghans have fled Kabul airport since the Taliban came to power nine days ago.
Many Afghans fear that the brutal interpretation of Sharia law used by the Taliban during their 1996-2001 administration will be repeated and that they will receive retaliation for two years of cooperation with the US-backed government.
The Taliban, which ended two decades of war with the surprisingly quick defeat of government forces, were publicly tolerant of evacuation efforts.
Also Read: Russia Blames US for Forcing Afghans in Moscow-Allied Central Asia
