WASHINGTON, March 18, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – US President Joe Biden has said
that it would be “tough” to meet the deadline to withdraw American troops
from Afghanistan by May 1, as agreed with the Taliban in a deal secured under
Donald Trump.
The Taliban insurgents have largely stuck to a promise not to attack US or
other foreign troops since the agreement was struck in February last year,
but they say the date to end America’s longest war is inflexible.
“Could happen, but it is tough,” Biden said when asked about the May 1
deadline in a TV interview broadcast on Wednesday. “I’m in the process of
making that decision now.”
The Taliban quickly reacted to Biden’s comments, with a spokesman telling
AFP there would be “consequences” if the United States did not stick to the
agreed timetable — further raising pressure on the fragile peace process.
Biden also took a direct swipe at Trump’s Afghanistan policy, saying it
“was not a very solidly negotiated deal” that the then-president oversaw.
“The failure to have an orderly transition from the Trump presidency to my
presidency… has cost me time and consequences. That’s one of the issues
we’re talking about now, in terms of Afghanistan,” he added.
The United States is supposed to pull out all its troops by May 1 in an
agreement that saw the Taliban agree to peace talks with the Afghan
administration of President Ashraf Ghani.
– Taliban power-sharing? –
The insurgents also vowed not to allow territory to be used by
“terrorists” — the original goal of the US invasion following the September
11, 2001 attacks.
But the supposed peace talks held in Qatar since September have made
little progress.
Washington wants to jump-start the process and get the Taliban and Afghan
government to agree to some form of power-sharing.
Major urban centers in Afghanistan are in the grip of a worsening terror
campaign in the form of deadly attacks targeting politicians, civil servants,
academics, rights activists and journalists. The Taliban deny all
responsibility but the government says they are to blame — either directly,
or by using proxies.
As the May deadline looms closer, Russia on Thursday is to host a
conference featuring high-level delegations from the Taliban and Afghan
government — as well from the United States, Pakistan and China.
At the talks, the insurgents will be led by the Taliban’s co-founder and
deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, while the Afghan government side is
headed by former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah.
Pakistan, which holds the most outside influence over the Taliban, is
represented by veteran diplomat Mohammed Sadiq, while the US sent long-time
Afghan envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
The United Nations, which is not participating in the Moscow talks,
meanwhile announced that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had nomination a
new personal envoy, Jean Arnault, to work for peace in Afghanistan.
Analysts suggest a face-saving compromise on the US withdrawal could be
hashed out, with Washington saying it has met its obligations while leaving
some US experts attached to Afghan forces in advisory roles.
A complete exit of US troops — given the vital air cover provided to
Afghan ground forces — would further loosen Kabul’s tenuous grip on the
countryside.
Trump, who dubbed the conflict America’s “endless war,” cut troop numbers
during his final days in office to 2,500 — their lowest figure since the
start of operations 20 years ago.
Afghanistan has been engulfed by a two-decade insurgency by the Taliban
since the Islamist militants were ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001 for
harboring the Al-Qaeda terror network.