MMore than 18 years after the American invasion of Afghanistan, the United States and the Taliban are about to sign an agreement, according to President Donald Trump. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will attend the ceremony, Trump said in Washington on Friday. The signing was expected this Saturday in Doha in the Gulf Emirate of Qatar. Trump also said there would be a joint statement by Defense Secretary Mark Esper with the Afghan government.
The agreement between the United States and the Taliban is intended to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan. In return, the Taliban are supposed to provide guarantees that the country will not become a safe haven for terrorists and that they will start peace talks with the government in Kabul.
Washington had asked the Taliban for seven days of “violence reduction” in the war-torn country as a prerequisite for an agreement. The deadline expired at midnight (local time in Afghanistan) – shortly before Trump’s message was sent by the White House. According to local information, the phase was not non-violent, but was considerably quieter than usual. The week was seen as a test of whether the Taliban could control their ranks.
Great progress, considerable costs
Trump said that over 18 years of operation had made great strides – but at high cost for American troops, American taxpayers, and the Afghan people. In the election campaign, he promised the American people “that I would start taking our troops home and trying to end this war. We are making significant progress in delivering on this promise. ”
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The Qatar Gulf Emirate prepared a signing ceremony in the capital Doha for Saturday. Representatives from around 20 countries have been invited, including several foreign ministers. The first guests had already arrived in the Qatari capital Doha, including Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Representatives of the American government, like the Taliban, had shown increasing confidence in the past few weeks that the signing would take place. This would bring the Taliban a significant step closer to its long-term goal: the end of what they call the “foreign occupation”, ie the withdrawal of American and international – including German – troops.
No exact details
The Taliban were ousted from power by an American-led military coalition in 2001 after hosting the terrorist Osama bin Laden. The United States blamed Al Qaeda chief for the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The exact details of the agreement are not yet known, but the Islamists hardly had to make painful concessions in the negotiations with the United States. The Taliban had become increasingly militarily militant in recent years and had built up a strong bargaining position.
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