Israeli regime must be treated as aggressor, occupier that it is: Taliban spokesman tells Press TV

The Taliban regard Israel as an aggressor and occupying regime, the group’s spokesman has said, stressing that the Taliban’s views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are consistent with the rest of the Islamic world.

In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Press TV on Monday, Zabihullah Mujahid said that when it comes to the Israeli regime, the Taliban follow the same path as the rest of the Islamic world.

"Our opinion is the same as the rest of the Islamic world. Israel should be recognized as an aggressor and occupier entity, and ... should be dealt with [as such]. This is an inter-Islamic issue and all nations and the Islamic world suffer from it. This is also our pain. This is our complaint and we are on the same path with the rest of the Islamic world," he said.

Taliban seek political system approved by all Afghans

Touching upon the latest developments in Afghanistan, Mujahid said the Taliban, who are in the process of establishing a new government, seek to build a political system in the country that would be approved by Afghans and accountable to the people.

“The Islamic Emirate is determined to have a [political] system that is approved by our people and our people [would] feel comfortable under that system,” he said.

He added that such a political system will be accountable to the country’s people, saying, “[We want] a system that is accountable to the people; is accountable and meets the needs of the people.”

Asked about allegations that the group is focused on one ethnic group in Afghanistan at the cost of other ethnic groups, Mujahid said the Taliban has never acted on the basis of an ethnic mentality.

Interview with Zabihullah Mujahid

This program is an interview with Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

“The Taliban do not have an ethnic mentality. We have all gathered under one mentality or mindset. In Afghanistan, the people who are with us have fought, sacrificed and come together. We do not have tribes and we do not believe in it,” he said, adding that it would be enough for Afghans to come together and become a single mass and a single force.

The Taliban spokesman emphasized, “Ethnic issues were fueled here by the occupiers” because they wanted to divide the Afghan people and pursue their own goals.

“We, the people of Afghanistan, are brothers. All our people live here and they have the right to live, and that is enough... In Afghanistan, we do not give anyone the right to divide us on the basis of ethnicity. Here... we respect [all ethnic groups] and all the ethnic groups of our country will live together and we will live together as one.”

US says conducted drone strike on Daesh after deadly Kabul attack

The US military says it has carried out a drone strike against a Daesh “planner” in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.

Mujahid: Americans prepared ground for Kabul attack

Asked whether the Kabul airport attack by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group had dashed Afghan people’s hope in the ability of the Taliban to guarantee the security of the country, Mujahid responded negatively and said, “We assure you that the most recent explosion that took place is still being investigated to find out the main causes.”

The Taliban spokesman added, “The ground was prepared for this explosion. Unfortunately, the American forces deliberately wanted to gather the people in a place and cause disorder for this incident to happen. Several other incidents occurred and the American forces themselves fired and as a result, people were killed and trampled. Our investigation into the main cause of this incident has begun.”

Mujahid stressed that, “We can prevent the recurrence of such attacks. In 33 provinces of Afghanistan, people feel safe. People are safe and the property and dignity of the people are preserved. We will increase our monitoring to find out if there are other small problems in some other place.”

"No group can act independently once Islamic govt. established"

The Taliban spokesman also told Press TV correspondent that after the occupiers left Afghanistan and Afghanistan is liberated and an Islamic government is established, there would be no excuse for anyone or any group to operate under the name of Daesh and another group.

“We will ensure the security of the country and our message to those who act under the name of Daesh is to consider [the fact] that Afghanistan is no longer a war zone,” Mujahid said.

“What is true is that an Islamic system is being established here. Foreign forces are leaving Afghanistan and there is no excuse left for us not to bring an end to the war and we make sure that such a thing will not happen again and we can stop it,” he added.

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The United Nations warns that Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation is

"We want good relations with entire world"

Asked about the main concerns of Taliban regarding their position in and acceptance by the international community and whether the group will take over Afghanistan's seat in the United Nations, Mujahid said, "We are currently in a situation where other countries must have trust and understanding with us. We, on our part, assure the whole world that we want to have good relations with everyone."

"The worries and concerns that some countries have can be resolved through diplomacy, through the embassy and through legal channels. Putting pressure [on the new Afghan government] is not the solution [for their concerns]," he said.

Mujahid added, "We send our messages to all countries, especially Western states like the United States and Europe, not to stand in our way. If there are concerns, there are diplomatic ways for us to resolve our differences."

“We have no problem for running Kabul airport once Americans leave”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Taliban spokesman said the groups will have no problem for taking charge of the international airport in the capital Kabul once the occupying forces leave.

“God willing, we do not have any problem in that field. Once the Americans are completely out and everything is handed over to us, we will have no problem. From the technical point of view, we won’t have any problem either because the previously-trained workforce in this field remains in place and continue their work.”

The Taliban are poised to run Afghanistan again 20 years after they were removed from power by American forces following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The militants intensified their offensive and rapidly overran major Afghan cities in recent weeks, as the US-led foreign forces enforced what has been criticized as a hasty and ill-planned withdrawal. The Taliban laid siege to Kabul on August 15, forcing the then Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country on the same day.

Since then, Kabul’s airport hash been the scene of chaos and sporadic violence, with panicked Afghan and foreign nationals desperately trying to catch evacuation flights out of the country, prompting officials there to enforce restrictions.

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