WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Taliban say the US decision to scrap peace talks would kill more Americans, while Washington has said it wants to restart dialogue if the Taliban respects its promises and the Afghan government has urged the Taliban to stop violence.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the Americans would suffer more than any other party because of the cancellation of the talks.
Mujahid predicted that "the American side will retreat from this position," adding that "our fight in the past 18 years is supposed to prove to the Americans that we will not rest unless we see the end of the occupation completely."
US President Donald Trump announced last night that peace negotiations with the Taliban had been suspended because of Thursday's attack in Kabul, which was claimed by the Taliban and killed an American soldier and 11 other people.
Trump revealed in a series of tweets on Twitter that he had planned to meet with senior leaders in the movement in secrecy in the Camp David presidential resort, as he would meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani separately today.
| Pompeo: I hope the Taliban will change their behavior and commit themselves to the things we talked about (Reuters) |
Pompeo's remarks
For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview with the channel "CNN" that the Taliban should not be rewarded for bad behavior, adding that Washington would reduce its troops in Afghanistan if the group adheres to certain conditions.
"I hope the Taliban will change their behavior and commit themselves to the things we talked about," Pompeo said, adding that "in the end this will be resolved through a series of talks."
The Afghan president said in a statement that he was committed to cooperating with the United States and its allies to achieve a "decent and lasting peace," stressing the holding of presidential elections this month, despite the Taliban's requirement to cancel the elections before signing any peace agreement with the Americans.
Ghani said lasting peace needs a "strong, legitimate and legal government through the forthcoming elections to advance the current peace process with utmost precision and wisdom."
The Afghan government issued a statement saying it wanted a lasting peace and pledged its commitment to all efforts in this regard, saying that the suspension of peace negotiations between the Taliban and Washington in Doha was caused by the Taliban's insistence on violence and the recent escalation.
She said she had previously called for peace in Afghanistan when the Taliban stopped killing people, accepted a ceasefire and sat at the table with the Afghan government.
Al-Jazeera journalist and expert on Afghan affairs Tayseer Allouni said that Trump's decision to cancel the talks is a political message to the American people, expecting Washington to resume talks later because the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan is a US necessity primarily to stop attrition.
For months, the United States and the Taliban have been holding rounds of negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, which resulted in a draft agreement to withdraw thousands of US troops in the coming months in return for assurances that the territory of this country will not be used as a base for militant attacks on the United States and its allies.