Chinanews.com, March 2. According to a comprehensive report, the United States and the Taliban recently signed a peace agreement. Both signatories called the agreement a historic milestone and an important step towards peace in war-torn Afghanistan. However, the New York Times believes that the agreement will accelerate the withdrawal of US troops, but it will not help Afghanistan's stability.
Data Map: US President Trump said, "We want to reach a peace agreement. The Taliban also want to reach a peace agreement. They are tired of fighting." Photo by Chen Mengtong, reporter from China News Agency
[Afghan President: There is no guarantee that Taliban prisoners will be released]
According to the agreement, foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan, including the United States, will withdraw from Afghanistan within the next 14 months. The Taliban have promised to refuge from terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaida.
US Secretary of State Pompeo said that the United States will pay close attention to the Taliban's compliance with its commitments and will withdraw accordingly. It is reported that the US military is expected to reduce the number of troops stationed in Afghanistan from the current 13,000 to 8,600 in the next three to four months.
Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Barada said the Taliban will abide by the agreement and "hope that the withdrawal of foreign troops will bring peace to Afghanistan."
The Afghan government did not directly participate in the signing of the agreement, but sent a delegation to witness the signing ceremony in Doha.
According to US media reports, the Afghan government and the Taliban will begin peace talks on March 10. However, the Afghan government has not yet agreed to the Taliban's request for the release of 5,000 Taliban war criminals before the negotiations.
Afghan President Ghani said on March 1 that there is no guarantee that the request will be implemented. "Afghan internal negotiations can include discussions on this matter, but not as a prerequisite for dialogue," he said at a press conference in Kabul.
Ghani added that the release of Taliban prisoners “was within the purview of the Afghan government and not the US government”.
Data sheet: A bomb attack near a high school in central Kabul.
[Do peace agreements really bring peace? 】
Before the agreement was signed, Afghanistan experienced seven days of reduced and calmer violence. Ghani also said that Afghanistan will continue to reduce violence until it finally reaches the goal of a comprehensive ceasefire.
In Kabul, the United States Secretary of Defense and Ghani issued a joint statement confirming that the United States continues to support the Afghan government. The Secretary-General of NATO and Western ambassadors who were present all continued to support the endorsement by the Kabul authorities.
U.S. President Trump has no hesitation in saying that the first priority in dealing with the Afghan war is to sign a peace treaty that will allow him to declare that he has fulfilled his campaign promises and withdraws US troops from the area; but his former national security advisers say Afghanistan Whether Trump can really achieve peace, Trump is far less concerned.
Within Afghanistan, Ghani is skeptical of the upcoming internal negotiations in Afghanistan. The Taliban has also repeatedly called the Afghan government a "puppet" of the United States, and has always refused to talk directly with them. Observers believe that peace negotiations in Afghanistan will take at least a year or a year and a half.