Taliban reacts to US Bill seeking probe on Afghan govt collapse, seeks 'good relations'

Reacting to a recent US Senate Bill proposed to impose sanctions on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and its supporters, the Afghan Interior Ministry said any penalties on the war-torn country would repeat the failed policies of the United States in Afghanistan. 

Afghan news outlet TOLO news reported on Thursday that the Taliban-led government has called upon the United States to leave the forceful approach against the country and appealed to Washington to engage with the Taliban via negotiations. Declaring the US legislation titled the 'Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act' a failed forceful tactic against the interests of Afghans, press director of the Interior Ministry, Qari Sayed Khosti, suggested the American government must have learnt its lesson on the use of force in the past 20 years. 

"The United States must have taken a genuine lesson regarding the use of force in the past 20 years, during which they haven’t achieved anything by force. The Afghans want good relations," Khosti was quoted as saying by TOLO news. It is worth noting on September 29, US Senators tabled a Bill seeking a probe into the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani-led government.

The legislation titled the "Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act", also got the support of Republican senators. The proposed Bill seeks to address the prominent concerns that led to the withdrawal of US forces from the war-torn country. If passed, the Bill would ensure sanctions on the Taliban-ruled country and states which supported the extremist organisation in its conquest of Afghanistan.

Bill categorically demands an investigation to assess Pakistan's role

The Bill categorically demanded an investigation to assess Pakistan's role in providing financial support, intelligence support, logistics and medical support, training, equipping, and tactical, operational, or strategic direction to the Taliban between 2001 and 2020.

"The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan was as awful as it was avoidable. It was unwise and unrealistic for the Administration to stick to its arbitrary August 31st deadline, which resulted in hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of our most loyal allies -- drivers, translators, guides, and others -- and vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders being left behind in Afghanistan in dire jeopardy," said Senator Collins on the legislation introduced by Senator Jim Risch.

Afghanistan not in a condition to face US sanctions: Experts

Meanwhile, reacting to the sanctions, political analyst  Hekmatullah Hikmat told TOLO news that the sanctions could cause serious harm to the lakhs of Afghans that are already living in the state of exile. Retreating the same, another political analyst Abdul Naseer Rishtia said that the war-torn country would not be able to bear the sanctions as over 20 million people were already in grave need of humanitarian assistance.

It is worth mentioning that a series of incidents unfolded after the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul, on 15 August, including a bomb attack. Since the Taliban's conquest, lakhs of desperate Afghan nationals have fled the war-torn country and taken asylum in different countries. Lakhs of people are still waiting for their turn to reach other countries.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI)