Taliban warn peace pact at frail juncture
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Taliban say their peace deal with the United States is nearing a breaking point, accusing Washington of violations that include drone attacks on civilians, while also chastising the Afghan government for delaying the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners promised in the agreement.
The Taliban said they had restricted attacks against Afghan security forces to rural outposts, had not attacked international forces and had not attacked Afghan forces in cities or military installations.
The Taliban’s statement issued Sunday warned of more violence if the U.S. and the Afghan government continue alleged violations of the deal.
U.S. military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett in a tweet overnight denied the Taliban allegation, saying U.S. forces in Afghanistan have “upheld and continues to uphold the military terms of the U.S.TB (Taliban) agreement; any assertion otherwise is baseless.”
Leggett called for the Taliban to reduce violence and said the U.S. military will continue to come to the aid of Afghanistan’s security forces if attacked, in line with the agreement.
Meanwhile, the militants said they had reduced their attacks compared to last year, but said continued violations would “create an atmosphere of mistrust that will not only damage the agreements, but also force mujaheddin to a similar response and will increase the level of fighting.”
The Taliban have accused the Afghan government of using “indefensible arguments” to explain the repeated delays in releasing a promised 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1,000 government personnel. The Afghan government’s footdragging has also left Washington frustrated.
Meanwhile, in the Afghan capital, President Ashraf Ghani announced his new Cabinet as he squabbles with his main political challenger over last year’s election results. Ghani’s move came even as Afghan mediators — including former President Hamid Karzai — shuttled between the president and his opponent, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who has also declared himself Afghanistan’s president.