Thousands of Afghans Killed After US “Occupation” of Afghanistan, Says Taliban

On October 7, the Taliban government wrote in a statement that the United States "invaded Afghanistan with great cruelty and terror" on this day. Twenty-three years ago, the US-led counterterrorism coalition invaded Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks.

The Taliban said in a statement on Monday, that thousands of Afghans were killed, wounded and homeless following the "occupation" of Afghanistan by the United States.

The statement also said that the US invasion of Afghanistan caused severe damage to the country's economy, and that the US "kept its puppet slaves dominating the Afghans".

During their first rule in the 1990s, the Taliban implemented strict rules similar to those of their current administration in Afghanistan.

At the time, the group sheltered then-al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and after the 9/11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan at the head of a counterterrorism operation.

The invasion of Afghanistan by the United States and its allies led to the overthrow of the Taliban regime at the time, the formation of a transitional government, and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The Taliban fought against the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and foreign forces for 20 years, and thousands of civilians were killed in the group's attacks on cities.

Nearly 20 years later, in February 2020, the United States signed the Doha Agreement with the Taliban after several rounds of negotiations, which many observers and a number of US officials believe led to the weakening of the former Afghan government.

Following this agreement, foreign forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan.

The Taliban returned to power on August 15, 2021, following the escape of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. According to international organisations, the human rights situation in the country has gradually deteriorated after the Taliban's victory. The Taliban has been accused of establishing gender apartheid in Afghanistan and violating ethnic rights extensively.

The Taliban government wrote in its statement that the Afghans under the leadership of this group defeated "America”.