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Taliban has no plans to take over Afghanistan by force, says spokesman

A delegation of the Taliban political office is currently in Moscow

MOSCOW, July 8. /TASS/. A delegation from the Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia) has confirmed during a visit to Moscow that it has no plans to take over Afghanistan by force, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban political office, told TASS on Thursday.

"Taking Afghanistan by military force is not our policy, our policy is to find a political solution to the Afghan issue which is continuing in Doha," he said. "We confirmed our commitment to a political solution here in Moscow once more."

"We could capture provincial cities easily, but we remained outside them voluntarily," he noted.

A delegation of the Taliban political office is currently in Moscow. The Taliban previously visited Moscow in March to take part in the extended "Troika" session (Russia, the US, China, Pakistan) on Afghan regulation.

The military-political situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated over the practically complete withdrawal of the Western coalition forces led by the US from the country. Afghan Army Chief General Wali Mohammad Ahmadza, who was newly appointed to this post by President Ashraf Ghani, stated that the priority of the Afghan forces is to protect the country’s main cities, border crossings, and highways from the Taliban.

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