The Taliban has no justification for their jihad in Afghanistan now that foreign forces are leaving the country, said top UK commander General Sir Nicholas Carter. 

“There is no reason for the Taliban ever to be talking about Jihad again, they are now waging war against the Afghans,” General Carter said in an interview with TOLOnews. He along with Pakistan’s Bajwa visited Afghanistan and held discussions with Afghan President Ghani. 

When asked about the Taliban’s sanctuaries inside Pakistan, Carter said, “The plain fact is Pakistan recognizes that it has a similar problem to Afghanistan in terms of terrorism.” And, this is something, he added, that can only be resolved if the two countries work together. 

He also assured that the UK would continue support to Afghanistan and its security forces. 

With recent meetings of high-ranking officials and leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, experts say that the UK could possibly be facilitating the process between the two countries.

Bajwa and Carter's visit to Afghanistan came a day after the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire from Thursday. Zalmay Khalilzad, the US peace envoy, welcomed the announcement and said there is no alternative to peace. 

“If there is no peace agreement, the alternative isn’t the Taliban victory. It is a long war,” Khalilzad said. (SAM)