Zakir Jalali, the Taliban’s deputy political director at the Foreign Ministry, said that the United States’ two-decade military presence in Afghanistan represented “an exceptional chapter in relations between the two countries.”
He emphasized that beyond that period, relations between the two countries have not been marked by significant complexities, adding that the United States’ positive role in major development projects such as Kandahar International Airport and the Kajaki Dam in Helmand Province “cannot be overlooked.”
Mr. Jalali added that there is now no “serious obstacle” to the restoration and expansion of relations between the Taliban and the United States.
He wrote that the signing of the historic Doha agreement demonstrates a considerable level of pragmatism on both sides, allowing them to move beyond the past and, by adopting a realistic approach, seek to take advantage of opportunities to expand relations in a new phase.
The United States toppled the Taliban regime following its invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The American military presence in the country lasted 20 years and ended after the Doha agreement, when U.S. forces withdrew.
The Taliban has portrayed the U.S. withdrawal as a “victory” and has since sought to cultivate goodwill with its former adversary.
Washington, however, has shown little inclination to expand relations.
