No details yet available of the deal
So far details of the plan have not been made public. For some time now there have been reports that a deal is imminent. Zalma Khalilzad the US envoy to Afghanistan to head to the capital Kabul to inform the Afghan government on the details and will then travel to Brussels to inform NATO officials as to what is happening.
Trump’s position is unclear
Even though reports indicate there is a done deal, President Trump’s position is that there is no hurry to reach an agreement: “President Donald Trump says US talks with the Taliban are on “no timeline” for reaching a resolution to the nearly 18-year-old war, which has claimed more than 2,400 American lives. Trump told reporters Monday at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France that the US is talking with the Taliban, the Afghan government and others, but is in “no rush” and has “no timeline” for the discussions.”
A recent article reports Trump saying: ““We’re having good discussions. We’ll see what happens. It’s 18 years. We’re not really fighting. We’re almost a police force over there. We’re not supposed to be a police force,” he said. Some 14,000 U.S. troops remain engaged in America’s longest war, training and advising Afghan security forces and conducting counterinsurgency operations against militant groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State’s local affiliate.”
Trump appears to be of two minds on the issue of withdrawal from Afghanistan. On the one hand he says that the war is waste and should be ended. On the other hand, he claims he is fine with the America’s longest war dragging on even longer to battle jihadists in Afghanistan and prevent them from having a base.
Two Taliban commanders claim attacks on Afghan government will continue
[A recent MSN report claims:
“Two Taliban leaders told Reuters that a peace deal with the U.S. will not end the group’s attacks on Afghan forces.”We will continue our fight against the Afghan government and seize power by force,” one Taliban commander told the outlet on condition of anonymity.”
US envoy to Afghanistan Khalilzad has said the Taliban interpretation is wrong about the US not continuing to support the Afghan government: “”A Reuters report quoting two unnamed Talib commanders alleges we will cease support of the Afghan forces as part of any agreement,” Khalilzad tweeted. “Not true!..No one should be intimidated or fooled by propaganda! Let me be clear: We will defend Afghan forces now and after any agreement w/ the Talibs. All sides agree Afghanistan’s future will be determined in intra-Afghan negotiations.”
We will have to wait until the official announcement of the agreement before we know what exactly the situation is.
