US Has Not Set a Date for Afghanistan Violence Reduction Deal

Esper says peace plan is dangerous, but US must give it a chance

Speaking on the Afghanistan peace plan over the weekend, Defense Secretary Mark Esper emphasized that it poses a risk, but ultimately conceded that the US must give peace a chance.

After 19 years of failed war, the US continues to be a reluctant partner at best for a deal ending the war in Afghanistan. The lack of progress seems to have them obliged to at least approach a drawdown.

Still, the US isn’t in any rush for this deal, and the reduction of violence deal, which Trump insisted upon, remains uncertain, with the US still not setting a date for that deal to begin.

The Afghan peace deal has been available for months, with the US consistently backing away and adding new demands. The reduction of violence was the most recent demand, and right now there seems to be a holding pattern on the US going with that or trying to drag things out even longer.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.