Taliban: US Seeking to Offset ‘Afghanistan Humiliation’ with Venezuela Action

DID Press: A senior aide to Taliban deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar accused the United States of trying to compensate for what he called its “humiliating withdrawal” from Afghanistan by moving against Venezuela and detaining President Nicolás Maduro.

Abdullah Azzam, chief of staff to Baradar, wrote on X that Washington has been unable to “hide the historic shame of its defeat in Afghanistan,” claiming the US lost international credibility after its 2021 exit and is now attempting to reclaim it elsewhere.

Quoting U.S. president Donald Trump, Azzam said the US was “humiliated” during its withdrawal and widely criticized, but argued that “after kidnapping Maduro in Venezuela, the situation has changed, adding that any foreign power that invades Afghanistan ultimately loses its reputation and leaves in disgrace, and later seeking to restore its standing abroad.”

Despite Azzam’s sharp rhetoric, the Taliban leadership has maintained a more cautious public stance toward Washington. The group’s acting foreign minister in has recently repeatedly emphasized the need to normalize relations with the US.