US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been pushing the Taliban to agree to a brief ceasefire that could pave the way for signing of the peace agreement to end the war in Afghanistan.
But the Taliban killed two American soldiers on Saturday that indicates they are presently in no mood to halt attacks.
The US-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan says the roadside bomb attack also injured two American servicemen in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban. On their part, the Taliban said the improvised explosive device “shred an American armoured personnel carrier to pieces” near the Kandahar airbase, one of the most highly secured areas.
Khalilzad paused the negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar last month after the Taliban attacked the Bagram airfield north of Kabul that killed at least two people and injured nearly 70 others. The Taliban had defended the Bagram attack and said their attacks were in reaction to operations by the American troops when they join the Afghan forces against the Taliban.
Two Taliban officials told Daily Times that the formal talks have not been restarted as Khalilzad has not yet received a formal response if they agree to a brief ceasefire or an understanding on reduction of violence. However, the US envoy met Taliban chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Qatar this month.
Taliban leaders have held consultations on Khalilzad’s proposals and have sent recommendations to their supreme commander Sheikh Haibatullah, according to a Taliban privy to the internal discussions. But the supreme commander has not made a final decision.
The Taliban say the Trump administration and the American policy makers in Washington need to understand that Afghanistan has become their second Vietnam and even worse but not only militarily but financially as well.
“The days of the American intervention in other countries will be over if the invasion of Afghanistan prolongs because it will drain the American power further like it has done in the past 18 years. If the American forces do not leave Afghanistan, they will face the same resistance and ferocious attacks by the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate no matter how many more decades it takes,” a Taliban commentary said. The commentary “The presence of American forces is the root cause of instability in Afghanistan” has been posted on the Taliban al-emarah website.
The US has not commented on the Taliban latest attack. Trump abruptly called off talks with the Taliban in September last year after a Taliban bomber killed an American soldier and 11 other people in Kabul. The talks were resumed after three months but were paused again after the Bagram attack.
The Trump administration is seemed in a fix. If the US does not sign the peace agreement with the Taliban, continuation of the war could claim lives of more American forces that will be a huge embarrassment for Trump at a time when campaign for the November presidential election will gradually gain momentum. Trump had promised to bring US troops back ahead of elections.
As the peace process currently faces a deadlock, Khalilzad may seek Pakistan’s help to convince the Taliban agree either to a brief ceasefire or reduction in violence. Reports say the US envoy is likely to visit Pakistan soon.
Pakistan hosted Khalilzad and the Taliban political envoys in Islamabad in October when Trump had halted the process. They had held informal meetings in Islamabad that were followed by a series of informal meetings in Qatar. Later both sides resumed formal talks but the Bagram attack disrupted the process again.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells, who is expected to arrive in Islamabad this month, who could also discuss ways how to remove hurdles in the peace process.
The US and Taliban had started peace negotiations in October last year and have held 10 round of talks and agreed on a draft of peace agreement in August. However, they have yet to formally ink the deal. Both sides are seemed non serious to end the war in Afghanistan that mostly talks lives of the common Afghans. The Kabul regime has also no clear policy on the peace process.
