Taliban fooled US, regrouped itself with Pakistan`s aid, claims Afghanistan`s `acting` President Amrullah Saleh

The former top spy alleged that while the US was negotiating the transition and withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, Taliban used that time to shore up military powers and regroup themselves.

KABUL: Afghanistan’s "acting" President Amrullah Saleh has made sensational claims that the Taliban restrengthened itself with the financial aid it received from Pakistan. Saleh also squarely blamed the Imran Khan government in Pakistan for helping the Taliban fool the international community by participating in Doha talks.

The former top spy alleged that while the US was negotiating the transition and withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban used that time to shore up military powers and regroup themselves.

Saleh made these allegations while speaking to a news channel during which he said that the “entire Pakistan government was at the service to Taliban.”

He said that it’s apparent that there was no pressure on the Taliban and they used Pakistan as their support base. Saleh further claimed that Doha talks legitimised the Taliban but they did not honour their commitment and fooled the entire international community. 

Talking about the security situation at the Panjshir Valley, Saleh said that he and Ahmad Massoud are leading an armed resistance against the Taliban there. "It's an area which has an exceptional reputation,'' Saleh said.

Saleh had highlighted the dire "humanitarian situation" in Andarab Valley of the northern Baghlan province and accused the Taliban of committing human rights violations in the region.

Adding a new twist to the current turmoil in Afghanistan, the former vice president of the war-ravaged nation had recently vowed that he will never ever bow to the Taliban.

Saleh took to Twitter and said, "I will never, ever & under no circumstances bow to d Talib terrorists. I will never betray d soul & legacy of my hero Ahmad Shah Masoud, the commander, the legend & the guide. I won't disappoint millions who listened to me. I will never be under one ceiling with Taliban. NEVER."

Saleh’s tweet hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left Kabul to avoid bloodshed. Taliban, which has seized control of major Afghan provincial capitals, including Kabul, is currently negotiating a peaceful transfer of power with the outgoing Afghan government.

Targeting Islamabad, Saleh had said that Afghanistan is too big for Pakistan to swallow and too big for the Taliban to govern.

In a social media post, Saleh tweeted, "Nations must respect the rule of law, not violence. Afghanistan is too big for Pakistan to swallow and too big for Talibs to govern. Don't let your histories have a chapter on humiliation and bowing to terror groups."