In another surprise 2020 twist, the Taliban have endorsed Donald Trump to win the US election.
Azabihullah Majahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban, told CBS News that, “We hope he will win the election and wind up US military presence in Afghanistan.”
However, Tim Murtaugh, the communications director for the Trump campaign rejected the endorsement.
“We reject their support,” Murtaugh said.
“And the Taliban should know that the President will always protect American interests by any means necessary, unlike Joe Biden who opposed taking out Osama bin Laden,” he added.
Trump doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to endorsements, and people on Twitter were quick to point that out.
https://twitter.com/DebraMessing/status/1315081533590511624
Yes, Trump has actually been endorsed by Osama bin Laden’s niece.
What do White Supremacists and Taliban have in common? They are both violent extremists who support Trump.
Very fine people.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) October 11, 2020
In other news: Greta Thunberg endorsed Joe Biden for the US Presidency. Go figure.
https://twitter.com/junkyardmessiah/status/1315060080253886464
This comes after Donald Trump promised to withdraw troops from Afghanistan “by Christmas” after 19 years of war.
“Nineteen years is enough, they’re acting as policemen, they’re not acting as troops, we have the greatest troops in the world,” Trump told Fox Business News.
In February, the Trump administration signed a pact with the Taliban which set a timetable for US troops to withdraw by spring 2021.
However, the timeline does not align with the advice of the US military, who don’t believe it’s safe to reduce troop levels until the Taliban breaks ties with al-Qaeda.
In 2019, Trump invited the Taliban for peace talks at Camp David days before the anniversary of 9/11. However, those talks were cancelled after the Taliban killed a US solider.
“Trump might be ridiculous for the rest of the world, but he is sane and wise man for the Taliban,” a senior Taliban member told CBS.
Did anyone else have “Taliban for Trump” on their Bingo Card.
— Armand Hamouth (@AreMond2) October 11, 2020
The Taliban also expressed concern for Trump’s health, after hearing about his COVID-19 diagnosis.
“When we heard about Trump being COVID-19 positive, we got worried for his health, but seems he is getting better,” a senior Taliban leader told CBS.
2020, what a mess.
