Historic signing of peace agreement between the US and Taliban
The pact, signed in Qatar, aims to end the longest US war in Afghanistan.
The United States special representative for peace Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sign the agreement to withdraw US troops. / Photo: twitter.com/secpompeo
LatinAmerican Post | Luisa Fernanda Báez
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Leer en español: Histórica firma de acuerdo de paz entre EE.UU. y talibanes
According to DW, the decision comes after a seven-day partial truce between insurgents and Afghan and US forces, during which the number of attacks decreased significantly.
According to the media, the reduction of violence was the main condition for the signing of the agreement between Washington and the Taliban for a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees and the initiation of a dialogue between insurgents and the Afghan government.
According to El Nacional, the Taliban began the process to reach this point in February 2018, when their political office in Doha urged Washington to take part in a direct dialogue after years of refusal. In October of that same year, Khalilzad and leaders of the insurgents held the first of more than a dozen rounds of dialogue in Qatar, but in September 2019, after an attack in Kabul in which an American died, the president of the US, Donald Trump, abruptly canceled the meetings.
Fortunately, the process resumed at the end of November after a visit by the leader in Afghanistan and now, after the signing of the historic agreement in the presence of international observers and dignitaries from various countries, including the foreign ministers of Turkey and Pakistan, United States He announced that he will reduce his military detachment in Afghanistan from 14,000 to 8,600 soldiers over a period of 135 days.
In 14 months all foreign troops will leave the country if the agreement is fulfilled, it reads. In addition, the United States and the Taliban agreed to exchange thousands of prisoners as a confidence-building measure.
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"Until March 10, up to 5,000 prisoners (from the Taliban) and 1,000 prisoners from the other side (Afghan forces) will be released," the document reads.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Taliban to keep their promises to break ties with Al-Qaeda: "I know there is a temptation to declare victory, but victory for Afghans will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper "said Pompeo as part of the signing ceremony, which took place in Doha, Qatar.
Thanks to @POTUS Trump’s leadership, we are finally making substantial progress toward ending our nation’s longest war. Today’s release of the Joint Declaration between Afghanistan and the U.S. marks a pivotal moment in the #AfghanPeaceProcess. #ForAfghanistan #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/pWjgiUv6mj
— Department of Defense (@DeptofDefense) February 29, 2020
For its part, "the EU considers the conclusion today of the declaration between Afghanistan and the US for peace and the agreement between the US and the Taliban an important first step towards a comprehensive peace process, with negotiations between Afghans at its center," indicated the high representative of the EU for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, in a statement on behalf of the Twenty-seven
Beginning of the conflict
The agreement, as already mentioned, will allow the United States to exit the longest war in its history launched in 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks to overthrow the Taliban, who had welcomed Osama bin Laden and the leaders of Al-Qaeda who planned and celebrated the terrorist attack.
According to France 24, Washington has spent more than 750 billion dollars and the war claimed tens of thousands of fatalities on all sides.
