The Taliban say Afghans who worked with U.S. troops aren’t in danger of retaliation but should show “remorse” for their actions, NBC News reported on Monday.
The Taliban, referring to themselves as the “Islamic Emirate,” issued a statement on Sunday saying that Afghans who worked alongside and cooperated with NATO troops shouldn’t worry about their safety. They also said those Afghans should show remorse for their past actions toward the Islamic State.
“The Islamic Emirate would like to inform all the above people that they should show remorse for their past actions and must not engage in such activities in the future that amount to treason against Islam and the country,” the Taliban said in their statement.
The Taliban cited the U.S. withdrawing troops from the region completely as a reason why they changed their attitude toward the situation.
The terrorist organization has been hostile toward Afghan informants of U.S. and NATO allies, with at least 300 Afghan informants killed by the Taliban since 2014, according to the veteran-led nonprofit No One Left Behind.
The statement comes after negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in September. U.S envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and other top officials headed to the region to engage in a series of talks and to reach an agreement on the future of the country.
President Biden announced in April that all U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan by Sep. 11.