Taliban boycott Istanbul talks, want foreign forces to leave

The Taliban have linked participation in any conference on Afghanistan’s future to the pullout of all international forces from the country.

Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for Taliban’s political office in Doha, said this in a tweet hours after President Biden announced on Tuesday withdrawing all US troops from Afghanistan by September.

Naeem wrote: “Until all foreign forces withdraw from our homeland, we will not participate in any conference that shall make decisions about Afghanistan.”

Under last year’s peace pact with the Taliban, the Trump administration had pledged pulling out all forces from Afghanistan by May 1.

The Istanbul Summit on Afghanistan is slated to be held from April 24 to May 4. The Afghan government and regional countries will attend the event.