US weighs pullout parameters as talks with Taliban progress
U.S. negotiators have made significant advances in recent talks with the Taliban, and the two sides are close to announcing agreement on an initial U.S. troop withdrawal, along with plans to start direct discussions between the militants and the Afghan government, according to U.S. and foreign officials.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other members of the national security team briefed President Donald Trump on Friday, with Pompeo saying afterward that “led by the president, we are working diligently on the path forward.”
Trump, who has long been skeptical of the need to keep a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, tweeted after the meeting: “Many on the opposite side of this 19 year war, and us, are looking to make a deal — if possible!”
An initial withdrawal would include roughly 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
In exchange, the Taliban would agree to renounce al-Qaida and to prevent it from activities such as fundraising, recruiting, training and operational planning in areas under Taliban control.
The agreement is also expected to include a statement of Taliban willingness to sit down with representatives of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government to develop a political framework for peace, something that has long been a sticking point in the U.S.-Taliban talks.
Throughout the talks, critics in both Kabul and Washington have questioned U.S. willingness to bypass the Afghan government in its eagerness to meet Trump’s insistence on withdrawal.
The Taliban have not publicly expressed any change in their refusal to negotiate with Ghani. But U.S. officials have said throughout the months of negotiations that any phased withdrawal agreement would be explicitly linked to the start of inter-Afghan talks.
Once the agreement is announced, U.S. officials expect the two Afghan sides to move directly into talks. The agreement is also expected to reference a cease-fire as part of the initial round of those negotiations, although it is unlikely to lead to an immediate halt to the fighting, according to the officials, who spoke about the status of the closed-door negotiations on the condition of anonymity.
It is anticipated that the Afghan talks would develop a road map for Taliban inclusion in government and would address matters including the role of women in Afghanistan and other social issues.
Assuming the talks continue as outlined, discussions between the Afghan sides would also consider the extent to which the U.S. military could maintain a residual counterterrorism presence in Afghanistan, something that many in the administration and Congress believe is imperative.
Following the initial U.S. withdrawal, however, the bulk of American troops would leave within about 18 months.
U.S. officials are hoping that the Afghan parties, once they have agreed to meet, will jointly call for a delay in Afghanistan’s presidential election, scheduled for Sept. 28.
Ghani — running for a new term — has rejected any delay, and last week said the vote was “vital” to the nation. Ghani’s challengers have said the election must be delayed whether or not a viable agreement is announced.