Taliban warns of ‘consequences’ if Afghan pullout extended

Taliban said their fighters had surrounded resistance forces holed up in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley

London The Taliban will not agree to an extension of the August 31 deadline for the United States to withdraw troops and a delay will bring consequences, a spokesman told Sky News. “You can say it’s a red line,” spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in an interview. “If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations — the answer is no. Or there would be consequences.” Earlier, the Taliban said their fighters had surrounded resistance forces holed up in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley but were looking to negotiate rather than take the fight to them.