"Today America is facing the same fate as the former Soviets and trying to escape from our country," the Taliban said in a statement. Purposely issued on the 25th anniversary of the final Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, a national holiday for Afghans, the Taliban sought to connect the steady departure of U.S. and NATO troops ahead of a year-end deadline to the end of the decade-long Soviet occupation. According to Reuters, the Taliban called on Afghans to expel the United States from Afghanistan on Saturday just as they said Afghan mujahideen fighters had done to Soviet forces 25 years ago to the day. "We want to remind the Americans that we did not accept invaders with their sweet and nice slogans in the past. We eliminated them from the world map. God willing, your destiny will be the same," the statement said.
Taliban: U.S. Will Meet Same Fate as Soviets in Afghanistan
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