Under a deal agreed ‘in principle’ between the United States and the Taliban, Washington would withdraw 5,400 from Afghanistan within 20 weeks once it comes into effect after President Donald Trump’s approval.
The deal – revealed by U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad – is the result of nine meetings between the American officials and the Taliban representatives, who met in Doha. The Taliban have confirmed the contents of the deal that Khalilzad has shared with Kabul.
Pakistan has been a key facilitator of the direct talks between the U.S. and the Afghan insurgent group that ruled their landlocked country before the U.S. invaded it in reaction to 9/11 terror perpetrated by Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda leaders.
As per the agreement, the Taliban would be required to make sure that international terror groups do not find a refuge in their country.
Currently, the United States has around 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, which has been the theater of the longest and one of the costliest U.S. military engagements in the history.
Besides President Trump’s approval, the deal would also require a political go-ahead in Kabul.
The Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government also have to hold talks.
Meanwhile, the Afghan presidential election has been scheduled for September 28. At the same, the Afghan Taliban, who according to some reports control more territory than before since 9/11, continue to carry out militant attacks.
For the agreement to deliver peace for Afghanistan, a lot of developments will have to go hand in hand like a difficult national reconciliation process allowing the Taliban back as stakeholders, political adjustments and public acceptance of the militant group that adopted harsh policies toward women and such critical areas as education during the 1990s.
“We have agreed that if the conditions proceed according to the agreement, we will leave within 135 days five bases in which we are present now,” Khalilzad said.
According to BBC, the withdrawal of the remaining American forces would depend on a variety of conditions including the start of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and a ceasefire.
If the deal goes ahead with peace for Afghanistan and the U.S. is able to pull out its troops, President Trump would have a big foreign relations victory to showcase in his 2020 reelection bid, as the costly Afghan war is unpopular among people nearly two decades after President George W Bush launched it it. Obama escalated the war with serious implications for Pakistan, which saw years of deadly attacks on its cities and military installations.
