United States Must Support Anti-Taliban Resistance, Says Former NSA

John Bolton, the former US National Security Advisor, has said that the Taliban have become more radical over the past twenty years. In an interview with Afghanistan International, Bolton added that Washington’s only solution is to support the resistance against the Taliban.

He reiterated that the people of Afghanistan should be allowed to take control of their own destiny.

The former US national security adviser emphasised that the resistance against the Taliban has been taking momentum and it should be taken seriously.

According to Bolton, the people of Afghanistan did not choose the Taliban, but this group’s rule has been imposed on them.

In response to a question about Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front (NRF), Bolton said, "I think it is still too early to talk about this [...] but in the first days of the start of this movement against the Taliban in Panjshir, no one thought that they would last. However, they were able to survive and influence the prevailing atmosphere."

Referring to the Doha agreement between the Taliban and the US, he said that the Taliban does not believe in the agreement and will not implement it. He added that the Taliban is doing what was predicted of them. According to Bolton, there is nothing that can be reconciled with the Taliban.

Bolton said that there is no doubt that the resistance against the Taliban will continue in Afghanistan, but the lack of support and international relations makes the situation difficult.

The former US adviser called Washington's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan "catastrophic" and said that it will take a long time to correct this "mistake".

Bolton also added that Islamabad should realise that it made a mistake by supporting the Taliban. He added that Pakistan should know that it will be better for everyone if it rejects terrorism.