Donald Trump warns Taliban, says 'will go back if they fail to take control'

US President Donald Trump warned the Taliban soon after Washington signed a truce with the latter, ending the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan. Speaking at the White House at a press conference on February 29, Trump said that he would meet Taliban leaders in “in not so distant future.” He added that he believed that the Taliban was ready for peace but warned the Islamist organisation that in case they fail to take hold, then the “US will go back.” 

US-Taliban peace deal

The United States and the Taliban on February 29 signed a peace deal in Doha after months of negotiations, aimed at ending the 18-year long war in Afghanistan. As per the joint declaration between Afghan and Washington, the United States will withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months. The move is "subject to the Taliban's fulfilment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement."

Read: Afghan Peace Deal: 5,000 Taliban PoWs To Be Released; US To Withdraw In 14 Months

US President Donald Trump said the US was "working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home". Under the agreement, the militants also agreed not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in the areas they control. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, a member of the Taliban's office in Qatar, called the peace deal a 'historic day for Afghanistan' and told Afghanistan's TOLO News, "The US guaranteed that 5,000 prisoners would be released before the intra-Afghan talks."

Read: US-Taliban Truce: India Reiterates Support For 'Afghan-led, Afghan-controlled Process'

Major powers such as the US, Russia, and Iran had reached out to the Taliban as part of efforts to push the stalled Afghan peace process, that Donald Trump had abruptly declared as "dead" on September 10, 2019. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process led by Afghanistan. India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and their proxies can relocate.

Read: US-Taliban Truce: India Reiterates Support For 'Afghan-led, Afghan-controlled Process'

Read: 'Momentous Day': Mike Pompeo Hails Historic US-Taliban Peace Deal