Message from Taliban to Erdoğan: Withdraw your troops from Afghanistan
A spokesman for the Taliban movement demanded, Thursday, that Turkey withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in accordance with the 2020 agreement on the withdrawal of US forces, according to Reuters.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said : “Turkey has been part of NATO forces for the last 20 years and should therefore withdraw from Afghanistan on the basis of the agreement we signed with the US on 29 February 2020.”
Taliban militants on Tuesday seized control of a new region of Afghanistan as part of their military gains since the withdrawal of international forces.
The Taliban have stepped up attacks on provincial capitals, district centers and larger security bases following the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan on 1 May.
The German army has begun withdrawing its last remaining soldiers in Afghanistan through Georgia; An A400M transport aircraft took the first batch of soldiers to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Thursday and from there to Germany on a civilian charter flight.
Violence continues to escalate in Afghanistan, with clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban continuing on many fronts.
Security officials have reported clashes between government forces and the Taliban in at least ten provinces in the past 24 hours.
Last May, the UN said that nearly 1800 civilians were killed or injured in the first three months of 2021 during fighting between government forces and the Taliban despite peace efforts.
The US announced its intention to withdraw all troops by September 11, exactly two decades after al-Qaeda’s attacks on the country.
