In an open letter on Tuesday, the Taliban called on the United States to honour its commitment made in the Afghan peace process of withdrawing all international forces from Afghanistan.
The letter was published a day before a planned meeting between NATO defence ministers on Wednesday, which will discuss the alliance’s strategy in Afghanistan as well the current situation of its forces in the country.
“Now that a year has passed since the signing of the Doha agreement, we urge the American side to remain committed to the full implementation of this accord,” said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy leader of the Taliban.[1]
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not interfere in the internal affairs of others, neither does it want to harm others, nor will it allow anyone else to interfere in our own affairs. Defending our land and people is our legitimate right,” Baradar added. [1]
The Doha agreement, also known as the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan, was signed by the Taliban and the US in the Qatari capital Doha in February 2020.
The withdrawal of all international troops, including those belonging to the US NATO, and the Taliban’s pledge to enter talks with the Afghan government and prevent al-Qaeda from operating in the country, are the two main points of the agreement.[2]
The US agreed to reduce its forces from 13,000 to 8,600 in July last year, which was to be followed by a full withdrawal in 14 months should the Taliban honour its commitment to the agreement.
Washington also agreed to shut down five of its military bases within 135 days of signing the agreement and to end the economic sanctions that it had enforced on the Taliban.
The deal was supported by neighbouring countries Pakistan, China, and Russia. However, the agreement did not involve the Afghan government.
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Source: www.islam21c.com
Notes:
[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/16/taliban-open-letter-urges-us-to-honor-doha-agreement
