U.S. military withdraws Afghan president from Afghanistan to release Taliban prisoners
The U.S. military announced on the 9th that according to the agreement reached between the U.S. and the Taliban in Afghanistan, the U.S. military has begun to withdraw from Afghanistan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced on the same day that he would release Taliban detainees, paving the way for direct dialogue with the Taliban.
[Advancing withdrawal]
US Army spokesman Sonny Leggett said in a statement that the U.S. military has begun to implement a plan to reduce the size of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 in 135 days.
An American official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to the Associated Press that hundreds of US soldiers have begun to withdraw from Afghanistan as planned.
On January 28, the Afghan Taliban claimed to have shot down a CIA plane. The picture shows the wreckage of the plane photographed at the crash site in the Tehak region of Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed on the 2nd that he has approved the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan and the operation is coordinated by Scott Miller, the highest commander in the United States. He said that when the staff was reduced to 8,600, the US military would suspend withdrawal and assess the security situation in Afghanistan.
After multiple rounds of negotiations, the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement in Doha, Qatar, on February 29, aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan that lasted more than 18 years.
According to the agreement, the United States will begin withdrawing troops within 10 days after signing the agreement, reducing the size of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 in 135 days; promoting the release of Taliban detainees, reassessing and lifting sanctions on Taliban-related personnel, and sending Afghanistan The new government provides economic assistance and guarantees no interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs. At the same time, the Taliban promised not to allow its members and members of other organizations, including Al Qaeda, to use Afghanistan's land to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.
The U.S. promises that if the Taliban strictly implements the terms of the agreement, U.S. forces will completely withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months.
["Matsuguchi" release prisoner]
Afghan President Ghani said on the 9th that he would order the release of Taliban detainees on the 10th.
According to the agreement signed by the United States and the Taliban, the Taliban are scheduled to meet with representatives of the Afghan parties on the 10th to discuss the realization of a permanent comprehensive ceasefire and the future political line of Afghanistan; the Afghan government should release about 5,000 Taliban detainees before the meeting, and the Taliban release about 1000 people. However, Ghani refused to release the prisoner on the 1st of this month on the grounds that the United States has no right to decide on this matter.
U.S. military withdraws Afghan president from Afghanistan to release Taliban prisoner Five Afghan officials revealed to Reuters on the 9th that Ghani agreed to release the prisoner to ensure that the United States and other countries recognize him as president. Three of them said that Ghani will announce the release of about 1,000 Taliban detainees on the 10th, giving priority to the release of elderly people and those who will expire.
Data map: On November 12, 2018, a suicide bomber hit the Afghan capital. The explosion occurred near a high school in central Kabul.
Ghani held the inauguration ceremony for the second term of office on the 9th, while his competitor and former government chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, declared himself the winner of the presidential election. ceremony".
US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zalme Khalilzad, attended Ghani's inauguration. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States "strongly supports unified" Afghanistan and "strongly opposes any act of establishing a parallel government and using force to resolve political differences."
Afghanistan announced the results of the September presidential election on February 18, showing that Ghani received 50.64% of the votes and Abdullah received 39.52% of the votes. According to Afghan law, candidates have been elected with more than half a simple majority of votes. However, Abdullah blamed election fraud and claimed to have won.
Despite the signing of an agreement between the United States and the Taliban, the security situation in Afghanistan has not improved. During the inauguration ceremony on the 9th, an explosion came from the capital Kabul. The interior ministry said four rockets hit the centre of Kabul. The extremist group "Islamic State" subsequently "claimed" the attack. (An Xiaomeng) (Xinhua News Agency Special Feature)