Taliban Trading Afghanistan's Airspace For US Financial Aid, Says Hizb-e Islami Leader

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e-Islami party of Afghanistan, in his Eid message, said that Afghanistan is yet to achieve full freedom and independence, and the country's airspace is still under the control of the United States.

According to Hekmatyar, Afghans and people around the world believe that the dollar packages coming from the US is the price of buying Afghanistan's airspace.

However, he emphasised that "we must prove this accusation wrong”.

He referred to the American dollar packages as "poison bags" and said that "sinister intentions" are hidden behind them.

The leader of Hezb-e-Islami urged the Taliban to refuse the cash packages from the US because, in his view, this money does not validate "our faith and integrity”.

In a statement released on Wednesday, from addresses close to Hekmatyar, it has been stated that US unmanned aircrafts continue to roam the Afghan airspace and carry out reckless attacks, and the Taliban are powerless to control them.

Request for Compensation from the US

In his new statement, Hekmatyar wrote that the Taliban should have demanded compensation from the US in the Doha Agreement for the destruction of Afghanistan and the killing of one million Afghans.

According to him, instead of such a demand, it has been stated in the Doha Agreement that "US will assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan”.

He further added that any kind of political interaction with America must be conditional on paying compensation.

Siege of the US Embassy and Expulsion of American Diplomats

In his Eid message, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar also stated that if the US does not end the "occupation of Afghanistan," the embassy of the country in Kabul should be besieged, and all Americans, including embassy staff, should be expelled from Afghanistan.

This is while the US has not confirmed the reopening of its embassy in Kabul in official statements.