US, Taliban Aim to Rewrite Draft Deal on Withdrawal From Afghanistan

Officials say that the current round of US-Taliban talks in Doha will culminate in the rewriting of the draft agreement to verify that the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan, and the Taliban’s role in fighting terrorism, are agreed upon parts of what will ultimately be a final deal.

Negotiators are working to get the agreement rewritten in time to do it during this round of talks, likely on Sunday. One potential obstacle is that the US and the Taliban can’t agree on what to call the Taliban in the context of the deal.

The Taliban refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the name it had before the 2001 US invasion. The US, and the US-backed Afghan government, have both objected because of the legitimacy that name confers.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he believes the “hour has come for peace in Afghanistan.” This is more upbeat than US officials have generally been on Afghanistan. Often, officials emphasize that nothing is agreed upon until the entire deal is finalized, as if holding out hope the whole process might collapse.

Months of progress, however, have made a deal increasingly likely. The basic outline of a deal has effectively been agreed to, and now it’s all just about working out the specifics, and ensuring that the US will leave.