Iran’s outgoing foreign minister says the US and NATO only sought their “own interests” in invading Afghanistan, stressing that they need to compensate for the losses they imposed on the country and failing to achieve their objectives.
“For all their talk of democracy & War on Terror, events in Afghanistan & statements by US & NATO officials prove: They invaded & occupied Afghanistan & elsewhere ONLY to pursue their own interests—but couldn't even achieve that. US/NATO now have clear obligation to compensate,” read the tweet.
The remarks come as the Taliban militant group wrests control of Afghanistan, two decades after it was ousted regardless of years and a multi-billion dollar budget spent by the United States under the name of building up the country’s defense power and fighting terrorism.
Taliban’s takeover came in the wake of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, which was defiantly and unapologetically defended by President Joe Biden.
In an address on Monday in Washington D.C, Biden said his administration was taken by surprise over the speed of the Taliban's resurgence. He, however, laid a large portion of blame at the feet of Afghan forces, Afghanistan's former government, and his predecessor Donald Trump.
In his remarks, Biden took a swipe particularly at Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, saying he failed to live up to his promise that the Afghan military was prepared to defend the country after the last American forces departed.
Washington claims to have spent nearly 89 billion dollars over the past 20 years to “build, equip and train” Afghan forces, but successive US administrations have failed to end militancy in the country despite the huge cost.
Last month, the UN said in a report that Afghanistan had recorded more than 1,600 civilian deaths so far in 2021 -- a 47% rise compared with this time last year.
The UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) said nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in May and June, the highest number for those two months since records started in 2009.
Women and children made up close to half of all these civilian casualties at 46 percent, according to the report.
World countries have reacted to Taliban’s seize of power in Afghanistan, expressing cautious hope that Afghanistan would not again plunge into extreme and radical brutality and militancy.