Taliban Declares Victory Over United States, NATO After War In Afghanistan Ends
The Taliban declared the “defeat” of the United States and its allies on Monday after end of the longest war in American history. The U.S.-led coalition ended its combat mission on Sunday in the 13-year-old war in Afghanistan, and now, the insurgents are saying they are the ones who have won it all.
According to Reuters, a statement from Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, was emailed in on Monday.
“ISAF rolled up its flag in an atmosphere of failure and disappointment without having achieved anything substantial or tangible.”
The shift of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is going to a support mission for Afghan army and police. Close to 13,000 foreign troops consisting of mostly Americans will stay in the country for a new mission called “Resolute Support” that will last for two years.
Resolute Support will train Afghan security forces to fight Taliban insurgents. Violence has gone up in huge numbers recently, and it is the focus of the mission to keep the Taliban from taking over once again.
Mujahid not only declared defeat of the United States, but he vowed that the hard-line Islamist regime that was formerly in control would be back.
“…the demoralized American-built forces will constantly be dealt defeats just like their masters.”
Declaring the end of the war in Afghanistan was a huge point for the United States after it all began with September 11, 2001. As TIME reports, Army General John Campbell, chief of the International Security Assistance Force, said that strength in numbers has been built over the last 13 years.
“In the wake of the Taliban’s defeat in 2001, Afghanistan possessed no standing, professional security forces. Over the course of a decade, our Afghan partners and we have built a highly capable Afghan army and police force of over 350,000 personnel.”
Since 2001, close to 3,500 foreign soldiers have been killed in the war in Afghanistan. That number includes around 2,200 Americans.
In 2014, the Taliban’s violent and deadly attacks have brought about much damage and death. Around 3,200 civilians in Afghanistan have been killed between the army and the Taliban just this year along. During those battles, more then 4,600 Afghan police and army have also lost their lives.
With the end of the war in Afghanistan, the Taliban has vowed to “continue its Jihad” after 13 long years. They believe that the United States ending the war means they have conceded defeat, but it is evident by Resolute Support that the American presence in the country is far from gone.
[Image via Lucas Jackson – Reuters]
