Taleban may seize power after US leaves: Trump!

• Asked if the Taleban could eventually seize power, Trump said it's "not supposed to happen that way but it possibly will."

President Donald Trump on Friday said the Taleban could "possibly" overrun the Afghan government after the United States withdraws from the country, leaving the US-backed authorities to fend for themselves.

"Countries have to take care of themselves," Trump told reporters at the White House. "You can only hold someone's hand for so long."

Asked if the Taleban could eventually seize power, Trump said it's "not supposed to happen that way but it possibly will."
"We can't be there for the next 20 years. We've been there for 20 years and we've been protecting the country but we can't be there for the next - eventually they're going to have to protect themselves," he said.

Trump said the Afghan government's ability to defend itself from the rebels after US forces pull out was unknown. "I don't know. I can't answer that question," he said. "We'll have to see what happens."

Meanwhile, dozens of people were killed when gunmen opened fire at a political rally in Kabul on Friday in the deadliest assault since the US signed a withdrawal deal with the Taleban. The attack highlights a glaring lack of security in the Afghan capital just 14 months ahead of the scheduled withdrawal of all foreign forces under an agreement signed on February 29 by the US and militants. Health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said that 32 people had been killed.