Any foreign troops left in Afghanistan after Nato's September withdrawal deadline will be at risk as occupiers, the Taliban has told the BBC.
It comes amid reports that 1,000 mainly US troops could remain on the ground to protect diplomatic missions and Kabul's international airport.
Nato's 20-year military mission in Afghanistan has all but ended.
But violence in the country continues to rise, with the Taliban taking more territory.
Under a deal with the militant group, the US and its Nato allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the Taliban not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in the areas they control.
President Joe Biden set a deadline of 11 September - the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US - for American troops to fully withdraw, but reports suggest the pullout may be complete within days.
As Afghan forces prepare to take charge of security alone, concern is growing for the future of Kabul.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said seizing Kabul militarily was "not Taliban policy".
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A small number of the Special Air Service (SAS), a Special Forces unit of the British Army, will stay in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of Western troops from the country, The Telegraph has cited an unnamed former SAS soldier as saying.
ReplyDeleteThe ex-serviceman claimed the SAS troops would "provide training to Afghan units and deploy with them on the ground as advisers", adding that there was "no determined time" for how long the UK special forces will have boots on the ground in Afghanistan.
"As long as they continue to see value they will keep forces there. It's not a pleasant place at the moment, people are scared and rightly so", he said.
The former SAS soldier also pointed to the Taliban continuing to "control the countryside and are just waiting for the coalition to leave".
"They are making it abundantly clear at every opportunity that their peace is with the coalition and not the Afghan government. The country will implode", he said, Sputnik reported.
The Telegraph additionally quoted an unnamed senior military source as saying that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to make an official decision on the matter during a meeting of the National Security Council later on Monday.
"It's our job to provide a range of different options to the government", the source stressed.
The remarks followed defense sources telling The Guardian on Friday that the withdrawal of the last of the UK's regular troops from Afghanistan is slated to be complete "in the next few days".
The British Ministry of Defense, for its part, stated that "the UK is involved in ongoing discussions with the US and international allies regarding the future of our support to Afghanistan".
The statement came as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a press conference that the pullout of American troops from Afghanistan is proceeding according to plan, adding that Washington will do its best to make the drawdown deliberate, orderly, and safe as well as to protect its people and partners.