Donald Trump Once Again Boasts About His Relationship With Taliban and Their Compliment For Him

Donald Trump quite recently boasted about his dealings with the Taliban during a press conference in New Jersey. Trump discussed specifics from a conversation with Abdul Ghani Baradar, the senior negotiator for the Taliban during the 2020 peace accord. Nevertheless, Joe Biden, who succeeded him as president, later demanded the removal of American forces from Afghanistan.

As reported by Newsweek, during the conference Trump stated, "I said, 'We're gonna have to hit you people so hard like we've never hit anybody.' And he understood. He said: 'Yes, Your Excellency, I understand.' He called me 'Your Excellency.' I wonder if he calls that to Biden. I doubt it." Trump went on to say, "He understood that and respected us and for 18 months, not one American soldier was killed," referring to the time after he struck an agreement to terminate the conflict. The former president said that the situation in Afghanistan became safer for both Americans and Afghan citizens while he was in power. He described Ghani Baradar, the head of the group, as a 'strong and smart' guy, and claimed to have 'dealt with' him.

A departure deal was reached between the Taliban and the Trump administration in February 2020. The agreement excluded the Afghan government, released 5,000 Taliban troops from jail, and set a final pullout deadline of May 1, 2021. As reported by BBC, then-President Trump remained optimistic about the deal's prospects, saying, 'Everyone is tired of war.' In addition, Trump said that American forces had been eliminating terrorists in Afghanistan 'by the thousands' and that the task now needed to be redirected to either the Taliban or neighboring nations. He further added, "I really believe the Taliban wants to do something to show we're not all wasting time. If bad things happen, we'll go back with a force like no-one's ever seen."

Despite the Taliban's persistence in attacking Afghan government troops and its acceptance of al-Qaeda members into their leadership ranks, the Trump administration remained committed to the agreement and reduced U.S. military levels from about 13,000 to 2,500 personnel. Nonetheless, Biden postponed the May 1 withdrawal deadline after he took over. Though there were clear indications that the Taliban weren't following the agreement, his administration proceeded with a plan to withdraw by August 31 anyhow.

Even after the United States withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, Trump was unhappy with the weaponry that remained there. Trump allegedly referred to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley as a 'f—ing idiot' at the time. As reported by The Hill, Florida attorney Ron Filipkowski posted a video of Trump speaking to a gathering during which the former president mentioned the military jets that were left behind after the United States withdrew its personnel from Afghanistan. Trump said, "That’s when I realized he was a f—ing idiot."

As soon as Kabul fell in August, the Taliban took control of the city and looted American armaments worth billions of dollars, including Black Hawk helicopters and an A-29 Super Tucano attack plane. As per the outlet, even while the planes gave the Taliban a great platform for propaganda, they are almost useless to anybody without the right training.