2020 US election: Taliban confirm support for Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has won the support of the Taliban for his re-election, the Afghanistan-based militant group told CBS News.

A Taliban spokesman told CBS that the organization hoped the current Republican president would work to end the US military presence in the country.

The endorsement, made by Zabihullah Mujahid, came just as other Taliban leaders wished the president a speedy recovery from Covid-19.

“We hope he wins the election and ends the US military presence in Afghanistan,” Mujahid told CBS News.

Another Taliban leader added: “When we learned that Trump was positive for Covid-19, we were concerned about his health, but it appears that he is improving.”

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said Saturday they “reject” the endorsement.

“The Taliban must know that the president will always protect American interests by whatever means necessary,” Murtaugh added.

There are fewer than 5,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan. That number is expected to drop to 2,500 early next year, said national security adviser Robert O’Brien.

In February, the White House and the Taliban signed a pact in which they planned to withdraw troops by spring 2021. The Taliban must separate from al Qaeda and negotiate a power-sharing agreement with the Afghan government’s rivals.

Trump announced last week that all troops should be “home by Christmas,” almost in exact contrast to the timeline that most US military commanders have.

“We should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE men and women serving in Afghanistan by Christmas,” he tweeted.

The Taliban have voiced support for Trump’s “America First” stance.