Taliban not impressed with Obama's troop withdrawal plans

Kabul, Jun 23: The Afghan Taliban has sounded a cautious note on the United States plan to reduce troops in the war-torn country of Afghanistan. The hardcore Islamic group, termed the move as a symblic gimmick and called for more concrete measures "to stop the pointless bloodshed."

In a statement emailed to the media, the Taliban said, "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan once again wants to make it clear that the solution for the Afghan crisis lies in the full withdrawal of all foreign troops immediately and (while) this does not happen, our armed struggle will increase from day to day."

It can be recalled that on Jun 22, President Barack Obama, announced his plans of withdrawing 10,000 US troops from the war-ravaged country and promised that all 33,000 forces sent as part of a surge ordered in late 2009 would be home by next summer.

US has been involved in a decade-long war in the Taliban after the al Qaeda sponsored 9/11 terror attack left thousands dead in 2001. Enraged by the massive loss of life and property in the terror attacks, the then US President George Bush declared a war-against the al Qaeda, which was thriving in the safe- havens of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

While al Qaeda was weakened considerably by the war, Afghanistan saw a regime change when a popularly elected government took the administration of the country into its hands after the Taliban regime was overthrown.

OneIndia News