Envoy Says US Will Back Republic If Taliban Rejects Peace

Taliban not intending to try to take power militarily

In comments on Friday, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said that the US priority in Afghanistan is political unity, and that if the Taliban won’t go along with the peace process, they will stand with whatever factions intend to keep the Republic intact.

Khalilzad added that there is an international consensus not just for a negotiated settlement, but against the idea of any military solution in Afghanistan after decades of fighting.

This all boils down to threats to further extend the war, and to back the Taliban’s opponents. Despite this, Taliban spokesman Mohammed Stanekzai said that the Taliban has no intention of trying to solve the conflict militarily, and similarly is backing the peace process.

The big problem is that, as Stanekzai points out, they envision the post-war government as an Islamic republic with a strong central government. While that’s probably the way things are going with an election, secular blocs are likely to use these comments to prove Taliban reticence toward peace.

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.