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Taliban says it ‘welcomes’ relations with US and all other countries except one

“Of course, we won’t have any relation with Israel. We want to have relations with other countries, Israel is not among these countries,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Russia’s Sputnik News.

By World Israel News Staff

After the humiliating U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last month, the Taliban says it’s ready to establish ties with Washington.

“Yes, of course, in a new chapter if America wants to have a relation with us, which could be in the interest of both countries and both peoples, and if they want to participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, they are welcome”, Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban terror organization, told Russia’s Sputnik News.

“Of course, we won’t have any relation with Israel,” he added. “We want to have relations with other countries, [but] Israel is not among these countries… We would like to have relations with all the regional countries and neighboring countries as well as Asian countries.”

On August 30, the Pentagon announced the completion of the withdrawal of U.S troops from Afghanistan and the end of its 20-year mission. The country is now under complete control of the Taliban.

The announcement of a new government, which drew a skeptical Western response, came hours after Taliban fired their guns into the air to disperse protesters in the capital of Kabul and arrested several journalists – the second time in less than a week that heavy-handed tactics were used to break up a demonstration, AP reported.

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“The Taliban seek international legitimacy and support,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters. “Any legitimacy, any support will have to be earned, and we heard that across the board, from everyone participating in today’s session.”

“For the foreseeable future, Afghanistan will be led by senior Taliban leaders who include in many cases the worst of the worst,” Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, told CNBC.