US President Joe Biden’s announced pullout of troops from Afghanistan by September 11 has
jeopardized Washington’s push for peace with Taliban Islamists and increased
the chances of an upsurge in violence, sources say.
اضافة اعلان
Biden announced the withdrawal, pushed back from a May 1 deadline agreed with the Taliban, without
buy-in from the insurgents, sources involved in the discussions told Reuters.
The decision was
signaled just hours after Turkey announced dates for a crucial peace summit on
April 24, which the Taliban had also not yet agreed on.
The Taliban then
announced they were shunning the summit while troops remained, throwing the
process into disarray.
“Biden’s announcement
decreases any leverage the international community has left over them, and
helps the Taliban justify refusing to attend,” said Ashley Jackson of the
Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
One official whose
country is involved in the peace process said the Taliban’s negotiating
position had become much stronger and chances of progress were slim.
“What do the Taliban
get out of the Turkey summit? They need something tangible,” he said. “It’s
difficult to bring them to a negotiation table where they know they will have
to make painful compromises.”
Tribal elders and
Taliban members in Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled areas described jubilation
at the US announcement.
“Of course we won and
America lost the long ... war,” said Quraishi, a Taliban commander in eastern
Logar province. “There is no bigger happiness than hearing that the invaders
are packing their bags.”
In recent weeks,
Washington raced to get agreement on a ceasefire and an interim government, and
to get the Taliban onboard with a deadline extension, officials said.
Biden’s decision on
the extension and the Taliban’s reaction have sparked more frantic
behind-the-scenes negotiations.
The sources said
Washington was urging Qatar and Pakistan, which have long-standing ties within
the Taliban, to pressure the militants to come back to the table.
Taliban sources
described intense pressure from Pakistan.
“When our leadership
refused to go (to Turkey), then Pakistani authorities asked us to send Mullah
Yaqoob. When he refused, they proposed Sirajuddin Haqqani but he too is
unwilling,” one source said, referring to the Taliban’s military chief and
their deputy leader.
Pakistan’s foreign
office and Qatar’s government did not respond to requests for comment.
Taliban spokesman
Mohammad Naeem denied there was any pressure.
In a statement on
Thursday, Pakistan said it would “continue to work together with the
international community in efforts for lasting peace and stability in
Afghanistan.”
A US State Department
spokesperson said: “We continue to put the full weight of our government behind
diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement ... and encourage Afghanistan’s
neighbors and countries in the region to do the same.”
But a senior Afghan
official told Reuters Washington had also lost leverage with Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani.
“The withdrawal
announcement will certainly embolden the Taliban to increase attacks but it
will also embolden President Ghani’s position not to step down,” the official
said of the proposal to replace Ghani’s administration with an interim
government.
Ready for war
Security and
diplomatic officials warned that violence would escalate if talks fell apart.
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 when they were ousted by US-led
forces, but they still control wide areas.
A senior Western
official in Kabul said military bases were being revamped and air strikes had
been conducted by the Afghan Air Force in recent days to put pressure on the
Taliban.
Four Taliban military
and political leaders said they too had already prepared for war, realizing
that foreign forces were unlikely to leave.
Though many experts
and officials warned the US stance undermined the chance of a peace settlement,
some concede that Washington had done all it could.
“The Biden
announcement didn’t help, but the Turkey effort already looked to be falling
apart,” said ODI’s Jackson.
Two diplomatic sources
said a stalemate had become apparent when the Taliban refused to join an
interim administration headed by Ghani, who in turn refused to step down
without holding elections, a suggestion the insurgents reject.
The US State
Department did not comment on the interim government but said any solution must
be Afghan-led and owned.
Two sources said
discussions have revolved around the set-up of an Islamic jurisprudence council
whose decisions by religious scholars could bind the president.
Other concessions
discussed, one source added, were whether the Taliban could nominate a
president, whether to remove Taliban leaders from international sanctions
lists, prisoner releases, and their fighters having status equal to Afghan
security forces, without joining them.
Naeem did not confirm
or deny discussions over an interim government. He said the release of
prisoners and removal from sanctions lists was necessary under their 2020 deal.
Officials say the
challenge to get both sides in an interim government was revealed at a
conference in Moscow last month.
Deep hostilities
became apparent when the delegations gathered. On one occasion, a Taliban
leader hissed “traitor” at a politician and former warlord who had once held
him captive, people in the room said.
Since the Moscow
meeting and as Washington tried to negotiate a troop withdrawal extension, one
source said, the Taliban had toughened their stance.
“Their proposals (now)
are more like almost a takeover,” said the official whose country is involved
in the peace process.
Though the Taliban
learned of Biden’s withdrawal decision through media on Tuesday, a Taliban
leader said, Washington had already discussed a six-month extension with them,
which they had rejected.
“We told them you
should call back all your troops and then start shifting logistics later and we
guaranteed them of providing protection to their belongings,” another Taliban
leader said. “They damaged our trust and now we wouldn’t believe them ... until
they fulfill their commitment.”
But Rustam Shah
Mohmand, a former Pakistani diplomat, said there was hope and the Taliban did
not want to lose international recognition.
“Missing the Turkey
conference would be a huge mistake,” he said. “It’s the last big effort for
peace and stability in Afghanistan and it must not be allowed to fail.”
Read more opinion
.jpg)
.jpg)
