Increased Violence, Stubborn Afghan Government Threaten U.S.-Taliban Deal

Meeting between US and Afghan Representatives (Flickr)

Uncertainty surrounds the landmark U.S.-Taliban peace deal only one week after it was signed on February 29. The Afghan National Government has refused to release thousands of Taliban prisoners, a key stipulation for the peace deal. The Taliban resumed attacks, and the U.S. has carried out airstrikes in response. NBC has reported that U.S. officials have obtained persuasive intel that the Taliban do not intend to abide by the peace deal. 

The United States has been fighting the Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group, for control of Afghanistan since 2001. The Taliban took power in 1994, imposed strict Sharia law, and sheltered jihadist organizations. Under the Taliban’s safe haven, Al-Qaeda operatives planned and executed the September 11th Attacks. U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan one month later, where they have remained ever since. 

President Trump campaigned on wrapping up America’s “endless wars.” Over the past year, his administration negotiated a preliminary deal with the Taliban, with talks being held in Qatar. Representatives from both sides reached a preliminary deal last September, but President Trump called it off after a Taliban attack killed twelve people, including an American soldier. 

Negotiations continued. On February 29, the U.S. and the Taliban signed a deal in Doha, Qatar, which laid out a ceasefire and eventual peace process. In exchange for the Taliban denouncing terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda, the U.S. will remove 4,000 troops in the coming weeks, and all remaining troops will leave within 13 months. 

President Trump himself confirmed a phone call with Taliban leader Mullah Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban, on March 3. The call lasted 35 minutes and consisted of discussion of the peace deal and each sides’ obligations. President Trump spoke highly of the call at a news conference, saying, “We had a very good conversation with the leader of the Taliban today, and they’re looking to get this ended, and we’re looking to get it ended. I think we all have a very common interest.”

Since the deal’s signing, however, tensions have threatened to undo it. First, the Afghan National Government refuses to release Taliban prisoners before intra-Afghan peace talks commence. The government argues it was not a party to the peace deal, and so it does not need to follow its agreements. President Ashraf Ghani has said the government “made no commitment,” but will carry out the prisoner exchange on their own time.  

In response, the Taliban resumed attacks on government troops. More than 30 Afghan national forces have been killed in attacks carried out since the peace deal. U.S. military officials confirmed that drone strikes targeted Taliban militants in Helmand province on 4 March. NBC news has reported on U.S. intelligence indicating the Taliban intend to disregard the Afghan National Government after U.S. withdrawal.    

Despite this, the United States has projected an image of optimism for the peace process. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press conference on March 5, “We know that the road ahead will be difficult. We expected it. We were right. The upsurge in violence in parts of Afghanistan over the last couple days is unacceptable. In no uncertain terms violence must be reduced immediately for the peace process to move forward.”

These confrontations and political posturing threaten Afghanistan’s best hope for peace. The Taliban know President Trump is eager to end the war before his reelection in the fall, and they believe they can bargain hard as a result. The fractured Afghan National Government fears a peace deal will end in brutal retaliation once the Taliban regain power. Caught in the middle, weary Afghan citizens wait for peace that is long overdue.