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What Is the Doha Agreement Afghanistan

The agreement signed in Doha, Qatar, which follows more than a year of negotiations and ostensibly excludes the US-backed Afghan government, is not a final peace agreement, is full of ambiguities and could still be dissolved. Initially, Afghan President Ghani indicated that he would not release taliban prisoners, but on March 15, 2020, a few days after peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban began, he announced that he would release 1,500 Taliban prisoners. He also insisted that any Taliban prisoner released would be required to sign an agreement committing not to return to fighting. The Taliban have not yet accepted this compromise, so the talks that are crucial for the next stage of negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government have not yet begun. “I truly believe the Taliban want to do something to show that we are not wasting all our time,” President Trump said in Washington hours after the deal was signed. “When bad things happen, we go back.” Finally, the agreement stipulates that the United States will begin diplomatic talks with the United Nations to remove Taliban members from the “sanctions list.” McKenzie believed “for some time” that if the U.S. reduced the number of its military advisers in Afghanistan below 2,500, the Kabul government would inevitably collapse “and the military would follow.” In addition to the morally debilitating effects of the Doha deal, the troop reduction ordered by Biden in April is “the other nail in the coffin” for the 20-year war effort, he added, because it blinds the U.S. military to conditions within the Afghan military: “Our advisers were no longer there with these units.” The agreement sets out a timetable for the final withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the impoverished Central Asian country that was once unknown to many Americans and now symbolizes endless conflicts, foreign entanglements and an incubator of terrorist attacks. These tensions between Taliban leaders came to a head on February 29, 2020, when political leaders called for a reduction in violence in the run-up to the signing of the agreement. Instead of observing the reduction in violence, many of the country`s commanders continued to attack. While these commanders may welcome the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, they are wary of negotiating with a government in Kabul they do not trust. On February 29, 2020, in Doha, Qatar, the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Taliban in which the United States promised to completely withdraw its troops by May 2021, with the Taliban pledging on several terms, including ending attacks on U.S. and coalition forces.

The stated goal was to promote peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Kabul, but these diplomatic efforts never gained popularity until Biden took office in January. “We are committed to the agreement signed in Doha between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the United States. We also want the Americans and their allies to support the agreement as well. Instead of making negative comments, it would be better for them to choose the path of diplomacy and cooperation,” he said. After the Doha deal, he said the troop reduction ordered by President Biden in April was “the other nail in the coffin.” Another problem is that the last Afghan presidential elections were contested and led to a divided and dysfunctional government in Kabul. Since two opposing candidates declare themselves winners, no one in Kabul is in charge. Given that the next step in the peace deal is to hold talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, a divided and fragmented government in Kabul makes this next step more difficult. After more than a year of talks, the deal marks the beginning of the end of America`s longest war. But many obstacles remain. Although the Taliban are fulfilling their main wish under this agreement – the withdrawal of US troops – they have remained vague to protect civil rights that they brutally repressed when they were in power. Wednesday`s hearing with Pentagon leaders was politically charged.

Republicans have tried to misrepresent President Biden regarding Afghanistan, and Democrats have pointed to what they have called reckless decisions during the Trump years. On January 20, 2021, during Joe Biden`s inauguration, there were still 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Biden`s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the administration would review the withdrawal agreement. [53] On April 14, 2021, the Biden administration announced that the United States would not withdraw the remaining troops by May 1, but would withdraw by September 11. [54] [55] On July 8, Biden gave an August 31 U.S. exit date. [56] The agreement provided that the U.S. would reduce its forces from 13,000 to 8,600 men over the next three to four months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months or by May 1. .