Merkel says Taliban return 'bitter' reality; urges intl community to maintain dialogue to terror group

Berlin [Germany], August 25 (ANI): German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday said that the Taliban back in power is "bitter but we have to deal with it" as she urged the international community to maintain dialogue with the terror group to protect the gains of the last two decades of NATO deployment.
Merkel addressed lawmakers in the Bundestag over the ongoing rescue operations from Kabul airport, DW reported.
The chancellor informed Bundestag that Germany is working "intensively" to evacuate Afghan staff ahead of a looming deadline.
She also warned the international community that Afghanistan might become a "hotbed of the international terrorism threat again".
Merkel said that the fact that the Taliban are back in power is "bitter but we have to deal with it."
"Many things in history take a long time. That is why we must not and will not forget Afghanistan," she said.
"Because even if it doesn't look like it in this bitter hour, I remain convinced that no force or ideology can resist the drive for justice and peace," she added.
Merkel urged the international community to maintain dialogue with the Taliban to protect the gains of two decades of NATO deployment.
"Our goal must be to preserve as much as possible what we have achieved in terms of changes in Afghanistan in the last 20 years. This is something the international community must talk about with the Taliban," she said. (ANI)