In an interview with Afghanistan’s state-run television RTA, released on Sunday, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman responded to recent claims by US President Donald Trump regarding a Chinese presence at Bagram Airfield.
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Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed Trump’s remarks as “emotional” and attributed them to “a lack of information”. Trump had claimed that Bagram, the largest US airbase during the US invasion of Afghanistan, is now controlled by China and demanded the Taliban return US-made military equipment.
Mujahid insisted no Chinese forces are present in Afghanistan and that the Taliban government has no agreements with any country on the matter. He said that Bagram remains under Taliban control.
On the issue of US-made equipment left in Afghanistan, Mujahid stated that these weapons belonged to the previous Afghan government and are considered “spoils of war”. He said the Taliban would use them to protect Afghanistan and said they could be deployed if the country is threatened.
The spokesman also argued that the US militarily occupied Afghanistan for 20 years, and if accountability is to be considered, the Taliban expects reparations for the destruction caused by two decades of war.
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A US watchdog estimated that around US$7 billion worth of US-funded military equipment was left behind after the collapse of the previous Afghan government.