Statement after the Taliban complete their takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021:

“This victory and empowerment reveals to us that jihad and fighting represent the (Islamic law)-based, legal, and realistic way to restore rights (and) expel the invaders and occupiers. As for the game of democracy and working with simple pacifism, it is a deceptive mirage, a fleeting shadow, and a vicious circle that starts with a zero and ends with it.”Agence France-Presse, “Al-Qaeda in Yemen congratulates Taliban, vows to continue jihad,” Hindu (Chennai), August 19, 2021, https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/al-qaeda-in-yemen-congratulates-taliban-vows-to-continue-jihad/article35992797.ece.