Taliban warn US over use of Afghan airspace

The Taliban issued a warning to Washington on Tuesday against the occupation of Afghan airspace by American drones, while calling for a commitment based on mutual respect, laws and international agreements.

“The airspace of Afghanistan is occupied by American drones “, denounced the Taliban in a statement in which they stressed that the The Islamic Emirate, as the Islamists call themselves, “is the only legal entity to protect the soil and airspace of Afghanistan.”

According to the brief, The United States “recently took action against all international laws and regulations and its own promises made in Doha”, referring to the pact concluded between the two parties in February 2019 by which the United States undertook to withdraw its troops from the country.

“These violations must be corrected and avoided”they added.

The Taliban called the countries, especially the United States, to commit to Afghanistan “on the basis of international covenants, promises and laws and on the basis of mutual respect and commitments in order to avoid negative and unwanted consequences “.

The Islamist government’s claim comes days after government officials The Pentagon has assured that it would not need the authorization of the Taliban to conduct counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan via the US Air Force, including drones.

Tuesday, Marc Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Kenneth mckenzie, who heads the United States Central Command covering Afghanistan, and the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, they testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the end of the deployment of US troops from Afghanistan.

When asked whether the chaotic withdrawal and evacuation of civilians from Kabul had damaged the image of the United States, Milley said allies and adversaries were “intensively” re-examining Washington’s credibility. “I think ‘pity’ is a word that could be used.”, he stressed.

Milley pointed out that the Taliban “was and continues to be a terrorist organization and they have not yet severed their ties with Al Qaeda”, the network that used Afghanistan as a base to plan the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.

US troops and international forces have completed their withdrawal from Afghan soil, abandoning all of their bases in the country, the latest August 30, ending two decades of military presence in the country.

The withdrawal of American and NATO forces is part of the compromise between Washington and the Taliban in Doha, and which led to the coming to power of fundamentalists.

The last air operation with drones, carried out and reported by the Americans, was the last August 29 against suspected members of the jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS).

The operation was undertaken after bloody attack at Kabul airport, claimed by the jihadists, which occurred during international evacuations, and which left at least 170 dead, including ten American soldiers.

However, two weeks later, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) admitted that the The attack, which targeted an “imminent” threat to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, turned out to be a mistake and resulted in the deaths of around ten civilians.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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