Taliban Hopes Trump Wins In Presidential Election, Spokesman Says

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2020) The Taliban hopes that US President Donald Trump will win in the November election, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

"We hope he [Trump] will win the election and wind up US military presence in Afghanistan," Mujahid told CBS in a phone interview on Saturday.

An unidentified Taliban senior leader told CBS that the Taliban was initially concerned about Trump's health.

"When we heard about Trump being COVID-19 positive, we got worried for his health, but seems he is getting better," the senior leader said.

Trump said in an interview with Fox business on Thursday that he would bring US forces in Afghanistan back to the United States by the end of 2020.

Prior to that, White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said that the US was going to reduce the number of its forces in Afghanistan to 2,500 by early 2021.

On February 29, the United States and the Taliban movement signed a peace deal in Doha, stipulating a gradual withdrawal of US troops as well as the beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations and prisoner exchanges.

Violent clashes and bomb blasts have been reported in Afghanistan despite the ongoing peace talks between the government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital of Doha.