U.S., Taliban reach violence reduction pact that could lead to U.S. withdrawal

[rooster59]

U.S., Taliban reach violence reduction pact that could lead to U.S. withdrawal

By Paul Carrel, Jonathan Landay and Humeyra Pamuk

 

 

MUNICH/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has reached agreement with the Taliban on a weeklong reduction of violence that could lead to a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a senior administration official said on Friday, while cautioning that the insurgents must honour commitments for the accord to stick.

 

The deal was struck in protracted negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha and was announced after a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

 

The accord - if it holds - could pave the way for an agreement by the end of the month on a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a long-sought objective for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has vowed to stop the "endless wars" as he seeks re-election in November.

 

"It was violence that derailed the signing of the agreement in September. Now we have an agreement on the reduction of violence. And, should the Talibs implement what they've committed to doing, we will move forward with the agreement," the senior administration official told reporters in Munich.

 

The seven-day period has not yet started, but will go into effect soon, the official said.

 

There were no immediate comments from Ghani's government or the Taliban.

 

There remains a long way to go to a peace settlement and end to the nearly two-decade-old U.S. military presence that began shortly after the 9/11 attacks by al Qaeda. U.S. officials have been clear that the 13,000 U.S. troops will be cut to about 8,600 this year, with or without a withdrawal deal.

 

The reduction in violence agreement "is a good step on a very long road," said Ronald Neumann, a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.

 

LONG PATH TO PEACE DEAL

 

A U.S. withdrawal agreement would be followed by negotiations on a political settlement between the Taliban and an Afghan delegation that would include government officials. One of the first issues would be a nationwide ceasefire.

 

The so-called intra-Afghan dialogue, however, is likely to be difficult and protracted. The Taliban have refused to speak directly to the government, which they denounce as a U.S. puppet. Kabul's negotiating team has yet to be named, and there has been long wrangling over its composition.

 

It also remained to be seen if the Taliban leadership has full control over all its fighters.

 

The senior U.S. official made clear that a full U.S. withdrawal will depend on the Taliban fulfilling commitments to end their close ties with al Qaeda and other extremist groups.

 

"Our commitment, in terms of reduction of forces which is both conditions-based and in phases, is very much tied to delivery on the commitments that they have made, and will be," said the official. "There will be no hosting, no training, no recruitment, no fund-raising."

 

The official, however, noted that provision covered only Taliban-controlled territory, meaning it does not apply to Taliban sanctuaries in neighbouring Pakistan, which U.S. officials accuse of supporting the insurgents. Islamabad denies the allegation.

 

The official said the reduction in violence agreement was very specific and covered all Afghan forces. The U.S. military would monitor violence levels to verify whether the Taliban were honouring it.

 

U.S. and Taliban negotiators have been meeting in Doha since 2018 even as fighting has raged and hundreds of civilians and combatants have been killed as the insurgents have expanded their territorial control.

 

Last month the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a U.S. government agency, assessed that there were a record-high number of attacks by the Taliban and other anti-government forces in the last three months of 2019.

 

(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Mary Milliken, Tom Brown and Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-15

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[Tug]

Oh they are only kill half as many now?

[Sujo]

After all the years of lives lost its back to square one if the taliban. Well done.

[Bluespunk]

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

 

The senior U.S. official made clear that a full U.S. withdrawal will depend on the Taliban fulfilling commitments to end their close ties with al Qaeda and other extremist groups.

 

"Our commitment, in terms of reduction of forces which is both conditions-based and in phases, is very much tied to delivery on the commitments that they have made, and will be," said the official. "There will be no hosting, no training, no recruitment, no fund-raising."

What happens to all those Afghans who have worked with the western powers in Afghanistan? They need to be granted asylum before you withdraw. 
 

The taliban cannot be trusted to abide by any promises made, let us hope the Western powers can therefore be trusted to do the right thing. 
 

“To me, the thing that is worse than death is betrayal. You see, I could conceive death, but I could not conceive betrayal.”

Malcolm X

Edited February 15, 2020 by Bluespunk

[Pedrogaz]

What a totally pointless exercise. A 19 year, and counting, war costing a trillion dollars and costing hundreds of thousands of innocent Afghan lives, and we are headed back to where we started, with the Taliban running the country as soon as the US soldiers leave.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Pedrogaz
grammar

[BestB]

No one has ever succeeded in that region. Russia stayed for years but eventually gave up , US has been there for a decade with hardly any progress. 
 

just pull out , let them evolve at their own pace and maybe in 200-300 years they will catch up with the rest 

[legend49]

20 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

What a totally pointless exercise. A 19 year, and counting, war costing a trillion dollars and costing hundreds of thousands of innocent Afghan lives, and we are headed back to where we started, with the Taliban running the country as soon as the US soldiers leave.

Who invited USA 19 years ago???

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, Tug said:

Oh they are only kill half as many now?

 

Pity the poor Afghan people being handed back to the rules of these nutters.

[Baerboxer]

9 minutes ago, legend49 said:

Who invited USA 19 years ago???

 

Probably a sense of responsibility having funded and supported the Taliban in its fight against the Communist Afghan government and the Soviet military that invaded to support it.

 

The Taliban aren't nice people. 

[Emdog]

Expecting Taliban to give up violence by having a one week pause is like getting your bargirl "girlfriend" to give up hooking for a week in exchange for you promising to give her "everything she wants". After delivery, back to same old tricks.

[winslowsjardine]

Well its a start

[simple1]

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Probably a sense of responsibility having funded and supported the Taliban in its fight against the Communist Afghan government and the Soviet military that invaded to support it.

 

The Taliban aren't nice people. 

Russians withdrew 1989, Taliban was formed 1994

[bert bloggs]

The only good Taliban ,and one i would trust is a dead one.

[candide]

Well, they know that with Trump, there's no need to respect promises made. Not to mention that Trump usually does not respect the ones he made either....

[mickey rat]

4 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Pity the poor Afghan people being handed back to the rules of these nutters.

Not exactly paradise after 19 years of USG occupation. What would you suggest? 

[cabanlit]

Well, they look like a negotiating team that's bought in to diversity and equality!

[The Deerhunter]

5 hours ago, winslowsjardine said:

Well its a start

Huh?

[The Deerhunter]

19 minutes ago, cabanlit said:

Well, they look like a negotiating team that's bought in to diversity and equality!

Fine, upstanding looking citizens, all of them......

[khaowong1]

After all the American lives and money we've spent there, I kind of hate just walking away and watching the country fall back into the hands of these zealots.  I'm sure it wont be the end of the US spending money there. 

[mauGR1]

6 minutes ago, khaowong1 said:

After all the American lives and money we've spent there, I kind of hate just walking away and watching the country fall back into the hands of these zealots.  I'm sure it wont be the end of the US spending money there. 

Yes right, the good Americans have put so much money in Afghanistan, look what a pleasant and prosperous country it has become ????

[Tropposurfer]

Few months or weeks down the track ... if this stellar agreement is signed [not worth the paper it will be written on lol] will see the fighting that has been daily life for the afghan people for thousands of years kick off again.

The fundamental Muslim ideologies of the Taliban will continue. The Russians had to leave very bloodied, after being mauled and mauled. The US Poms Aussies Germans etc that have wandered about that country have made no, I repeat NO impact in attempting to impose western ideas of life and politics on these folks. The spring offensives by the TB have continued almost unabated going right back to the Infidel Russians were there (this fighting had always been between factions in-country but the Infidel arriving periodically since the Western expansionism (going back to the East India Company) has always offered up a different locus of waging bloody war for these factions). Thousands of troops and civilians killed and maimed since the US and her allies went there in The War Against Terror.

The whole idea of going there was a military and political (some might say moral) mistake and so utterly futile and stupid (stupid in that to believe that the Great West could, root out Osama and the rest of AK, get the TB to give up carry weapons as a part of daily life and using then readily, to change these people and 'civilise' them (how bankrupt and arrogant an idea is that in itself!? - Please don't try to tell me that this wasn't woven into the thinking of the West when we sent troops there) is so preposterous it beggars belief. 

 

[RickTik]

O-h-h, please... Can anyone name any country that the USA has ever completely withdrawn from?

[Sujo]

9 hours ago, RickTik said:

O-h-h, please... Can anyone name any country that the USA has ever completely withdrawn from?

I wish it would withdraw from the US and leave it to be run by adults.