WAR AND PEACE
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KABUL/DOHA: US and Taliban officials signed a peace deal aimed at winding down the war in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of fighting that turned into the longest conflict in American history.
Secretary of state Michael Pompeo led a US delegation that signed the agreement with Taliban leaders in Qatar on Saturday. The deal - which followed a sevenday reduction in violence - is expected to pave the way toward direct talks between Taliban officials and Afghan leaders in Oslo next month, according to US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The agreement allows the US to immediately begin withdrawing some of its roughly 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, fulfilling a key campaign promise of President Donald Trump to start getting the US out of “endless wars.”
But it leaves many key details - including a lasting peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government, as well as the rights of women - up to later talks.
In exchange for the initial US troop drawdown, the Taliban pledge to cut ties with all terrorists and prevent Afghan territories from becoming militant havens.
Despite almost two decades of war and $900 billion in spending by the US, the Taliban are at their strongest since being ousted by American forces in late 2001, after the group refused to hand over al-qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the September 11 terror attacks.
Barring disruptions, US troop levels are expected to decline to about 8,600 within 135 days, with all troops being withdrawn within 14 months. Further declines depend on the Taliban fulfilling their agreement to engage in talks with Afghan officials and confront terrorists, according to US officials.
The agreement comes with the Afghan government in turmoil. The results of the country’s September election, announced this month, are disputed. President Ashraf Ghani claimed victory while his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, rejected the results as hopelessly flawed.
Ahead of the signing of the Doha deal, US officials described the agreement as the beginning of an effort to reach a broader political solution to a war that has spanned three US presidencies and killed or injured more than 100,000 Afghans over the past decade alone, while costing the lives of over 2,400 American troops.
Even as Taliban and Us-backed Afghan forces have fought to a stalemate, Islamic State terrorists gained a foothold in the country.
“Everyone is tired of war,” said Masood Mahfuz, a 42-year-old Afghan whose brother was killed in a Taliban bombing 3 years ago. “We are thirsty for peace. The only way is to make peace with the Taliban and forget the past.”