The Taliban terror organization acted unfazed after US President Trump’s speech Monday night in Fort Myers, Virginia, where he outlined a new US strategy with respect to Afghanistan and South Asia.
While Trump acknowledged that his original instinct was to pull US forces out of Afghanistan, he said that he now realizes that the US cannot repeat in Afghanistan the same mistake it made in Iraq.
Calling terrorists “losers,” he emphasized that he instead intended to employ a “fight to win” strategy which would include ratcheting up the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“I’ve said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations. We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities,” he had said, stressing that “Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary time tables, will guide our strategy from now on."
“We will fight to win,” he asserted. “From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge.”
In response, the Taliban released a statement indicating that it was undeterred, threatening to turn Afghanistan into a “graveyard” for the US.
"If America doesn´t withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on Tuesday.
He added that America should think of an exit strategy "instead of continuing the war.”
"As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale, will continue our jihad," he said.