More than 18 years after the US invasion of Afghanistan stand the United States and the Taliban according to the US President Donald Trump before signing an agreement. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will attend the ceremony, Trump said. The signing was expected this Saturday in Doha in the Gulf Emirate of Qatar. Trump also said there would be a joint statement by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper with the Afghan government.
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“If the Taliban and the Afghan government meet these commitments, we will have an effective way to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home,” said one White House Notice, The content of the agreement was initially not made public.
The agreement between the United States and the Taliban is intended to trigger the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. In return, the Taliban are said to provide guarantees that the country will not become a safe place for terrorists and that they will have peace talks with the government in Kabul take up.
Quiet location in Afghanistan
Washington had a requirement for an agreement from the Taliban seven days of “violence reduction” demanded in Afghanistan. The deadline expired at midnight – shortly before Trump’s message was sent out by the White House. According to local information, the phase was not non-violent, but was considerably quieter than usual. The week was seen as a test of whether the Taliban could control their ranks.
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Trump said the progress made over 18 years has made great strides – but at high cost for U.S. troops, American taxpayers, and the Afghan people. In the 2016 election campaign, he promised the American people “that I would start bringing our troops home and trying to end this war. We are making significant progress in fulfilling this promise.”
The Kabul government was not involved in negotiations between Taliban representatives and the United States. The Taliban insisted that they speak to Kabul at the earliest when the withdrawal of international troops is regulated. With the signing of the US-Taliban Agreement, the internal Afghan talks may begin within two weeks.
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The government’s uncertain future
The timing is bad for the political elite in Kabul. Two weeks ago, the election commission announced the previous president Aschraf Ghani as election winner, However, his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, does not recognize the result and declared himself the winner. Both politicians had planned separate inauguration ceremonies this week – until Ghani, apparently under US pressure, postponed his introduction until mid-March.
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Against this background, observers see it as a great challenge to form an inclusive negotiating team that is required from all sides and that acts united. The intra-Afghan talks would address the crucial question: What should a future Afghanistan with Taliban participation look like? Many doubt that the Taliban will integrate into the existing democratic system that they have rejected for so long. The Taliban speak of an “Islamic system” that they want to build.
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At the same time, it is unclear how to proceed after the seven days of violence reduction. There is skepticism that the country is really coming to rest. However, many Afghans also express hope that the reduction in violence will lead to a permanent ceasefire and, as a result, peace.
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