US is obstacle to Afghanistan’s international recognition: Taliban

Kabul [Afghanistan]: Taliban-appointed defence minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said that he considered the United States as an obstacle to the international recognition of Afghanistan, ToloNews reported.

In an interview with an Arabic news television channel, Mujahid said that the Taliban has met the requirements for recognition but that some countries, under pressure from the United States, don’t recognise Afghanistan. “We’ve completed the requirements that a government should have. There aren’t any requirements left to be met so that the world won’t recognize us as a result. It might take some time for them to be ready to recognize us, but we ask countries that are not under the pressure of America and can recognize us, to recognize the government of Afghanistan. In particular, we ask the world’s powerful Islamic countries to recognize us, and this is in the interest of all the countries,” Mujahid noted.

In the interview, Yaqoob Mujahid denied the cooperation of the Taliban with the US in destroying the Al-Qaeda network and emphasized that Al-Qaeda is not present in Afghanistan, as per ToloNews.

“Al-Qaeda doesn’t exist in Afghanistan. How can we fight against those who do not exist, do not control any area of Afghanistan, and do not even have a strategy for our country? In my view, what Joe Biden said was in some way an acknowledgement of this truth, but this doesn’t show our cooperation with America. We do not need the cooperation of any country,” he said.

The acting defence minister once again accused the US of violating the airspace of the country and asked Washington to end the violation of the airspace of Afghanistan.
“It has also been stressed that Afghanistan’s independence should be respected and that no country’s land should be used against Afghanistan, yet the US violates this principle. We ask the US to halt it because we lack the capability to respond to it and lack the equipment to fight against these drones. We not only condemn this act but also consider it as the occupation of Afghan airspace,” Mujahid added.

He stressed that the Islamic Emirate is prepared to communicate with the international community to address its concerns, reported ToloNews.

“The recognition will keep us from being internationally isolated. Both for security and other purposes, it will be helpful to Afghanistan. 58 Muslim nations will be persuaded to recognize Afghanistan if Saudi Arabia recognizes Afghanistan,” said Aziz Marij, a political analyst.

“What is the purpose of the economic-political pressure, when the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate officially emphasizes the lack of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the president of the US admits that these groups are not in Afghanistan?” said Zalmay Afghanyar, a military analyst.