Taliban offered bribes to Afghan officials, military to hand over weapons – Reports

Washington : The Taliban (a terrorist group, outlawed in Russia) in 2020 offered bribes to Afghan officials and military officers to surrender or hand over their weapons, The Washington Post has reported, citing its sources.

While the country’s officials describe proposals that were offered in early 2020 as ceasefires, in reality, the Taliban was offering money so that Afghan troops would hand over their arms, according to the newspaper.

Throughout the next year and a half, the meetings are said to have progressed to the level of districts and provincial capitals, leading to a series of negotiated surrenders by Afghan forces.

One Afghan special service officer told the news outlet that, while some were just after money, the others were convinced that the militants would seize power in the wake of the US withdrawal and wanted to get in the winning side’s good graces.

On Sunday, the Islamist movement entered Kabul, after which President Ashraf Ghani announced resignation and left the country. Ghani said his decision was dictated by the desire to prevent violence as the militants were ready to carry out an attack on the capital.

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said that the movement had put an end to the 20-year war in the country.

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