The Taliban responded Sunday to President Trump’s eleventh hour decision to end monthslong peace talks. “Now that the U.S. President Trump has called off the negotiations with the Islamic emirate, this has damaged U.S. the most, has affected its reputation, has further disclosed its anti-peace stance, and increased financial losses and loss in lives and affected America’s activities when it comes to political interaction,” the Taliban said in a statement. Trump said he ended the negotiations due to a Taliban bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed an American soldier. “They admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers,” Trump wrote on Twitter Saturday. “I immediately canceled the meeting and called off peace negotiations.”
Officials, however, have suggested that the turn of events was actually due to Trump’s reaction to the Taliban’s unmoving terms during negotiations, and a last minute plan to meet with Taliban leaders at Camp David. “We had productive negotiations with the U.S. negotiators and the agreement was finalized,” the Taliban wrote on Sunday. “... We are committed to continuing negotiations till the end if political settlement is chosen instead of war. The U.S. reaction to one attack ahead of signing of the agreement does not show patience or experience.”
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