The political chief of Palestinian resistance group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has congratulated the Taliban armed group on the end of the US “occupation” of Afghanistan.
This came in a phone call between Haniyeh and Taliban leader Abdul-Ghani Baradar on Monday, according to Hamas website.
Haniyeh said the end of the US occupation of Afghanistan “is a prelude to the demise of all occupation forces, foremost of which is the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”
Reports say Taliban leader Abdul-Ghani Baradar expressed his gratitude for Ismail Haniyeh’s call, wishing Palestine “victory and empowerment.”
The Taliban have meanwhile declared the war in Afghanistan over and a senior leader said the group would wait until foreign forces had left before creating a new governance structure.
Many Afghans are worried about their country’s future under a return to Taliban leadership.The Taliban completed its lightning advance across Afghanistan after it stormed the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday, all but sealing its takeover of the country.
Thousands of Afghans are also trying to leave, as another refugee crisis beckons.
The Taliban has declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join its government, trying to calm nerves across a tense capital city that only the day before saw chaos at its airport as thousands mobbed the city’s international airport in a desperate attempt to flee.
