Taliban insists on fighting as US reveals Afghan strategy

The Afghan Taliban on Tuesday said its militants will continue the war against US and its allies until the US-led forces leave Afghanistan.

The statement comes after US President Donald Trump announced a new strategy to Afghanistan and South Asia, lambasting Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

"Freeing the land of Afghanistan from the American occupation is our religious obligation and national duty. We shall remain true to this duty so long as souls remain in our bodies. America should have thought about withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan instead of continuing the war," Xinhua news agency cited a Taliban statement as saying.

Trump on Monday cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops into Afghanistan.

In his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump admitted his "instinct was to pull out" as he spoke of frustration with a war that has left thousands of US troops dead and cost trillions of dollars.

The Taliban statement said Afghanistan was not "a threat to anyone and neither has anyone been harmed from our soil. Baseless allegations and falling under the influence of propaganda by intelligence agencies is in itself the source of all misery and war".

Trump on Monday also said that he sees a "critical" role for India in the South Asia strategy.

With India "we are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region," the President said.

He noted that a rapid exit of the US troops from Afghanistan was "unacceptable" and his new strategy would shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground.

The Taliban statement said: "If America does not withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, the day will not be far when Afghanistan shall transform into a graveyard for the American Empire and the American leaders can understand this concept."

The new plan came as fighting has escalated and Taliban insurgents and Islamic State (IS) militants have intensified their activities by launching attacks across the war-hit country.

The Taliban on Monday fired two rockets into a diplomatic area in central Kabul, causing no casualties.

--IANS

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