US not abiding by Doha agreement: Taliban blames

It may be recalled that on February 29, 2020, inter-Afghan talks were held in a peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban

It may be recalled that on February 29, 2020, inter-Afghan talks were held in a peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban

Doha … News Time

The Taliban has accused the Afghan government and its Western allies of failing to abide by an agreement reached last year, including the release of prisoners and the withdrawal of foreign troops. A senior member of the Taliban’s political office in Doha told Al Jazeera that all Taliban prisoners were to be released within three months of the start of inter-Afghan talks in the Qatari capital. On condition of anonymity, he said more than five months had passed and he had not released a single prisoner. He blamed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for delaying the release of Taliban prisoners. The Taliban’s statement came as the Taliban resumed talks with the Afghan government in Doha after weeks of delays and a change in US leadership. The Taliban official also expressed concern over the delay in withdrawing the remaining US troops.

On the other hand, US President Joe Biden’s administration is reviewing the Doha Agreement of February 2020. Joe Biden has backed a political solution to the conflict but could not agree on a final date for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. “There is an agreement with the US government and we expect them to abide by it,” a Taliban official in Doha said. “The Taliban are bound by the written agreement and we expect the other side (the United States) to do the same,” he added.

It should be noted that the peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban was reached on February 29, 2020, at which time the agreement was described as an opportunity to improve peace in the 19-year-old war. Initially, it was expected that inter-Afghan talks would begin a few weeks after the agreement was reached, but delays in the timeline from the outset began to disrupt it. Prior to the Taliban’s agreement with the United States, it was agreed that the Afghan government would release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, while the Taliban would release 1,000 government and military personnel in return. The Afghan government seemed to be avoiding it. Moreover, the ongoing political crisis in Kabul has further delayed the talks as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah declared victory over each other in the disputed presidential election. The two sides later released each other’s prisoners, and the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced the start of talks after the last barrier of six Taliban prisoners was removed. In this regard, the statement said that these direct talks between the Afghan parties are very important and an important step towards lasting peace in Afghanistan.

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