The Taliban has publicly requested that the US provide clarification on their stance on the peace process, a deal which by all accounts was finished months ago. The Taliban are interested in where the US is going on the final deal.
It’s reasonable to ask, as since backing out of the last deal, President Trump has tried to add new conditions. Concerningly, Trump is now approving the deal, but only conditionally, and wants the Taliban to unilaterally cut violence in February first.
The US is planning troop cuts either way, but a concrete peace deal would oblige the US to actually leave Afghanistan, and almost certainly would establish a timetable for that. It would put an end to the US changing its mind on the war, as it has time and again over the last 19 years.
For the Taliban, the question is likely not so much about if they can cut violence, but if this time, meeting a Trump condition will net them anything. Trump had previously conditioned the deal on a ceasefire, and when the Taliban agreed he just added more demands.
With Trump’s PROPOSED budget, the money for Afghanistan is cut. So maybe the Taliban is holding the cards or we think that they can’t read.
Trump has definitely jerked the Taliban around, but if this is actually true:
“as long as the Taliban can commit to a reduction in violence for a roughly one-week period later this month…” T&P/NYT
Despite Trump’s bad faith, the Taliban would be wise to announce a unilateral conditional ceasefire for just that week as a demonstration of their good faith.
The administration is toying with the Taliban. Perhaps when Americans react to the increasing number of body bags returning home, perhaps change will begin.
Since the MSM is unlikely to print accurate numbers, nothing short of a nuclear bomb will convince Washington to change.
In other words let us bomb and attack you for a bit without response then maybe we’ll make a deal.
A ceasefire before a peace deal just makes the peace deal unnecessary for the US, and therefore would prevent the US agreeing to anything. The one way to force a deal is to keep fighting until they get one.
The Taliban actually are people who belong to Afghanistan, while the USA has absolutely no right to be there at all, as even in 2001 its invasion was based on false premises and ever since it has destroyed the country, killed and wounded untold numbers and achieved no benefit except to corrupt officials and the MIC.
Just curious. Anyone knows of a treaty, or an agreement US has not violated or withdrawn from? I know only of NATO, but then this is an organization that is commanded by a Supreme Commander, a US general appointed by the President of the United States.