Taliban insists for complete withdrawal of NATO troops

By Mirwais Adeel - 13 Feb 2013, 8:48 pm

Taliban militant group in Afghanistan in response to president Barack Obama?s decision to withdraw 34,000 US troops from Afghanistan once again urged Washington and other NATO member countries to immediately withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

According to a statement released by Taliban group, ?The western governments should by now have realized they must salvage themselves from the protracted and pointless war in Afghanistan which truly has brought down tragedies and disasters on America and other arrogant countries.?

The source further added, ?Thousands of their soldiers were killed, maimed and mentally disabled; billions of dollars was spent; economies of involved invading countries faced decline; its own people were reduced to beggary and other such ills?..?

?Now the time has come for the American president Obama and other head of states of invading countries to understand the realities of this futile war and instead of tactical efforts, troop reductions and gradual withdrawals, focus on the conditions, calls and needs of its own people and immediately extract all its troops from our country? Taliban said following the statement.

?The core solution to the Afghan problem rests the complete end of its occupation. The Afghans should be granted control, choice of government and sovereignty of their country. If not such then our sacred Jihad will intensify and forge ahead successfully even if one foreign soldier is present in our country and this struggle will continue until the fulfillment of the aspirations of our people.? Taliban said.

Taliban in its statement also added, ?The announcement by Obama of removal of thirty four thousand troops from Afghanistan is not the core solution to the problem and steps must be taken for their complete withdrawal because that will be beneficial for both America and Afghanistan. That which must be done tomorrow with more losses, ignominy and humiliations should be done today and an end brought to the occupation of Afghanistan.?

President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday that 34,000 troops would be pulled out of Afghanistan in the next year, and vowed that by the end of 2014 the US war in the country would be over.

?After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home,? Obama said in his State of the Union address, winning applause and a standing ovation from lawmakers.

The long-awaited move effectively halves the size of the current 66,000-strong US force in Afghanistan, ahead of a final withdrawal of most foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

?We can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating the core of Al Qaeda,? Obama said in praising the sacrifices made since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan toppled its Taliban rulers.

?Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.?

There were no immediate details of how quickly the drawdown would take place. But a senior Pentagon official told AFP earlier that it would be tied to the fighting season in Afghanistan, which runs into the fall.

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