PESHAWAR: Renewing their commitment to continue jihad against the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, Taliban on Monday said jihad was the best way to oust the occupation forces. This was said in a statement issued in Kandahar in Pashto on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan.

“The Russians found after 10 years of occupation that challenging the courageous and brave Afghans meant destroying themselves. They considered the Geneva agreement as the best pretext for the withdrawal of their defeated troops. They withdrew their troops in a humiliating manner from Afghanistan,” the statement said.

“Today Afghanistan has been occupied by the forces of another arrogant imperialist power and the brave Afghan nation is fighting the American aggressors and their Nato allies,” it said. “Over 10 years have passed and the world has admitted that the American aggressors and their allies are facing the same situation as was confronted by the Russian aggressors.”

On February 15, 1989, former USSR withdrew forces from Afghanistan after losing over 15,000 troops in the war that had started on December 27, 1979 and lasted for nearly 10 years.

