Shahabuddin Delawar, a member of the Taliban’s negotiating team in the Doha peace talks, says U.S.
officials sought to retain a military base in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American forces.
Speaking at a gathering in Kabul on Saturday, Delawar said that Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, had warned during the negotiations that Afghanistan could face a fate similar to Syria if U.S. troops withdrew, with the situation potentially spiraling out of control.
According to Delawar, the Taliban delegation rejected the request, and after the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the group took control of the country.
He also stressed that the Taliban had honored their commitments under the Doha Agreement.
The Taliban official further denied the existence of any secret annexes to the Doha Agreement, saying that the only annex concerned security arrangements for the safe withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
