How did the Taliban reach the gates of the second Islamic emirate in Afghanistan, to announce the end of a bloody chapter of the struggle for power, which has continued since the coup against King Muhammad Zahir Shah in 1973? Was the Taliban victorious over the United States of America, similar to the victory of the Afghan Mujahideen over the Soviet Union and forcing it to withdraw from Afghanistan in 1989 after 10 years of ugly criminal occupation? Or did the United States hand over Afghanistan to the Taliban? And why did she do that? Is there a secret deal concluded between the two parties that achieves the interests of each of them with the other, and opens the door to a new phase in which the leaderships, departments and tactical goals have changed, and information, experiences and relations have diversified, but the strategies have remained unchanged?
The dramatic scenes and successive developments in Afghanistan should not take us away from the reality of what is going on, nor from the location of what is going on in the chain of events and its subjection to political rules. The current international context strongly imposes on the ruling regimes to cooperate with the international system and its controlling powers. acquiesce.
The way in which the Afghan provinces fell one after the other at the hands of the Taliban movement, and its cinematic entry into the capital, Kabul, and the accompanying and ensuing scenes of high excitement and suspense, occupied the whole world with its leaders, politicians, peoples and media, and filled social media with comments and posts, each in its own way, and occupied the media in Continuous coverage for several days, and the emotions of Muslims around the world agitated with joy at the “victory” of the Taliban and the “defeat” of the United States of America.
These successive scenes and developments that the eye sees live on the media screens should not take us away from the reality of what is going on, nor from the location of what is going on in the chain of events and its subjection to the ruling political rules, especially since these scenes and developments came according to the timetable agreed upon between the Taliban and the United States, Regardless of the Hollywood details that accompanied the implementation process.
Ongoing relationships and negotiations
Relations between the United States and the Taliban movement began since it seized power in Afghanistan in 1995, and this communication is natural and does not disgrace the Taliban movement, which was at the helm, and therefore it has to deal with its local, regional and international challenges, and the current international context strongly imposes on the ruling regimes to cooperate With the international system and its controlling forces, it sometimes goes beyond cooperation to acquiescence. In the past few years, we have followed many of these models of acquiescence, and our approach to these relations comes from an understanding of what is going on in its rightful place, away from emotions and reactions and the interactions of support and opposition.
The strong relations at that time between the Taliban movement and Al-Qaeda, hindered the growth of American relations with the Taliban to serve the interests of both sides, and in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001, the Taliban became in the circle of the main enemies of the United States, and it was overthrown, removed from power and pursued for a period that lasted more For 15 years, however, contacts between the two parties have not been cut off, directly or through regional mediators, especially after the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
During these years, more than one well-informed media source told me that the United States offered to accept the participation of the Taliban in the Afghan government in exchange for agreeing to certain strategic privileges for the United States, chiefly the maintenance of Bagram Air Base north of Kabul, and when the Taliban refused this condition, the United States offered to hand it over full authority In Afghanistan in exchange for keeping only Bagram Air Base, but the Taliban rejected this offer as well.
Relations between the Taliban and the United States continued until they reached the level of coordination and cooperation between them in information and military operations that targeted ISIS in the Afghan province of Konar in 2014, according to the testimony of General Frank McKenzie, the supreme commander of the American forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East, before the House Armed Forces Committee. American.
Communication between the United States and the Taliban movement continued until it culminated in agreeing to enter into direct negotiations in Doha in 2018 to end the war and bring peace to Afghanistan, and these negotiations culminated - after 18 months - with the signing of a peace agreement between them at the end of February 2020.
Roadmap for Taliban rule
The peace agreement in Afghanistan between the Taliban and the United States at the same time was a vital requirement for former US President Donald Trump, who was rushing to reach an agreement on the basis of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, to celebrate and benefit from this event in his election campaign for the second presidential term. He was scheduled to hold a conference with the Taliban at Camp David, but he changed his mind.
This announced agreement, which came in 3 and a half pages, included 5 issues that are considered prominent signs in drawing the features of the upcoming political future in Afghanistan, and these issues are:
1. The agreement initially stated that it is between two parties only:
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the United States of America, and the Emirate was mentioned in the agreement 15 times, and although the agreement mentions it followed by the phrase “which the United States does not recognize as a state and is known as the Taliban,” it is a clear indication of the United States’ initial acceptance of the state form that will result from this The agreement, which is the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is the name used by the Taliban movement before the American invasion.
2. Negotiations
It lasted for a year and a half limited to the Taliban and the US government, without involving the Afghan government or any other spectrum of Afghan society. among the Afghans.
3. The Taliban is committed to the following:
Not to use Afghan territory by any group or individual of its members or members of other groups, including al-Qaeda, against the security of the United States and its allies.
Sending a clear message that those who pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies have no place in Afghanistan.
Instruct its personnel not to cooperate with groups or individuals who threaten the security of the United States and its allies.
Prevent any group or individual in Afghanistan from threatening the security of the United States and its allies, and prevent their recruitment, training, financing, and hosting.
Ensure that released Taliban prisoners will abide by the responsibilities mentioned in the agreement, so that they do not pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies.
The obligation to deal with asylum-seekers or residence in Afghanistan in accordance with international migration law, and the commitments contained in the agreement so that they do not pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies.
Not to grant visas, passports, travel permits, or other legal documents to those who pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies to enter Afghanistan.
4. The United States is committed to:
The United States and its allies are withdrawing all their forces from 5 military bases (it is given without specifying the names of these bases).
The United States and its allies will complete the withdrawal of all remaining forces from Afghanistan within the remaining nine and a half months.
The United States, its allies and the coalition are withdrawing all their forces from the remaining bases.
Lifting US sanctions imposed on Taliban members.
Communicate with the UN Security Council to remove Taliban members from the international sanctions list.
The United States and its allies shall refrain from threatening or using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan or interfering in its internal affairs.
Demanding the UN Security Council to recognize and approve the Convention.
Economic cooperation for reconstruction.
5. The power is in the hands of the Taliban
which is committed to forming a government in which other Afghan forces and components will participate.
And that the Taliban and the United States will seek to establish positive relations with each other, as well as between the United States and the new Afghan Islamic government after the settlement determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue.
As it is clear, the peace agreement concluded between the Taliban and the United States last year was the agreement to hand over Afghanistan to the Taliban, so what prompted the United States to do so?
And what did you get from what was not stipulated in the agreement?
(Continued...: Secret Supplements)