Dozens of people were killed and wounded in a US raid targeting Taliban militants, a day after the US and Afghan presidents announced that their countries had entered a new phase of partnership.

Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted a security source as saying that dozens of people were killed and wounded in US raids targeting Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan.

An Afghan security official said that US forces carried out raids against Taliban militants in the northern provinces of Baghlan and Kunduz.

The Taliban condemned the bombing, and the US forces blamed it for its repercussions and all its consequences, it said.

The Taliban added that foreign forces should be interested in withdrawing from Afghanistan, not getting involved in the war.

Meanwhile, Afghan Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirz Kawal said that Afghan forces have regained control of ten districts across the country, after Taliban militants took over them.

The Minister of Interior arrived in the southeastern province of Paktia, to assess the security situation after the Taliban took control of sites in the state.

The Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said that government forces last night regained control of the headquarters of the “Mir Zaka” district, two days after it fell into the hands of the Taliban.

new stage

This came a day after US President Joe Biden and his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani announced that their two countries had entered a new phase of partnership, against the background of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

During a meeting that brought together the two presidents at the White House, Biden assured Ghani that the partnership with Afghanistan will be sustainable and will not end, and said, “The Afghan people must choose their future, as they are the ones who decide their fate.” The meeting was attended by the President of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah.

sovereign decision

In turn, Ghani pointed out that the US decision to withdraw from Afghanistan is sovereign and that the government in Kabul should manage the repercussions of the decision and any consequences for it.

He added, “We are entering a new phase of partnership with the United States, noting that the US President assured him of the continuation of support and assistance, while the work of the Washington Embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Ghani also met US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; To discuss the future of bilateral relations between the two countries in the wake of the US withdrawal.

On Friday, Ghani began a visit to the United States, the duration of which was not specified, to discuss the situation in his country after the withdrawal of American forces, a process that is scheduled to be completed by September 11.

lost war

For her part, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said – during a press conference – that President Joe Biden made the decision to bring US forces home in line with his view that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won.

The Associated Press quoted unnamed officials as saying that Washington will largely complete the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan within two weeks.

The officials added that the United States would keep about 650 troops in Afghanistan to protect diplomats.

They also indicated that a few hundred additional US forces may remain at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital Kabul until next September, to help Turkish forces provide security as a temporary step.