US and Taliban: a strange deal ending an 18 year waging war
Opinion analysis by Tala Karkanawi, Staff Writer
July 28th, 2020
The US along with its NATO allies have agreed recently on withdrawing all troops from Afghanistan after almost two decades of a waging war with the Taliban. US President, Donald Trump, has put out a statement claiming that it has been a long run, and it is now the time to bring back their people home. However, he also said that this is not over if the Taliban decided to strike back, which really puts the idea behind a peace deal into question.
The Afghan-US relations became an imminent issue after the 9/11 attacks in New York, when the US decided to invade Afghanistan, waging a war with Al Qaeda which then turned into another war with the Taliban.
The terms of the agreement were put out when the deal was published. President Trump is planning on withdrawing all US troops before November 2020, which is during the expected presidential elections. This type of move will work will bring a type of support to President Trump which is what he’s hoping he’ll gain before the official presidential elections, arguably. In addition, the deal also lists out a term asking for a prisoner swap. The US is willing to swap around 5000 Taliban prisoners in exchange with US military troops. This move will bring hope to the families that have lost their family members during the war, which could bring tons of supporters siding with President Trump in the elections. The way the terms of the agreement are hopefully going to be fulfilled before the presidential elections.
Zahra Husseini, an activist from Kabul, fears that this deal could worsen the situation of women in Afghanistan. With the Taliban still in control with most of the regions, Zahra mentions how she doesn’t trust the Taliban. She also mentioned how it is a dark day for all women who would go back living in fear with no idea of what could happen next.
Another part of the agreement was for the Taliban to ‘reduce’ violence. Even though it hasn’t been long after this agreement was put into place, 22 soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has touched upon how this is an important step to bring sustainability and peace in Afghanistan, especially after the huge damage this war has caused. He did not discuss the questions aspect of how making a deal with a terrorist organization would bring sustainability into a country that is fighting for this organization to leave them?
This arguably questions Afghan sovereignty, the government, and the status of enacting treaties, agreements, and declarations with terrorist organizations. The entire deal itself brings uncertainty to the future of Afghanistan, especially since another term also provides lifting sanctions against the Taliban from the United States and the United Nations. The UN sent out a report claiming how they are not optimistic with the deal and fear that the Taliban will not hold their end of the agreement. Part of the deal that was signed in Doha, Qatar, notes that the ‘Taliban must prevent the use of the soil of Afghanistan by any group or individual against the security of the United States and its allies.’ In addition, Mike Pompeo the US Secretary of State, insisted that the Taliban had broken its ties with Al Qaeda and wouldn’t cause any ‘further issues’. However, none of that took place. The Taliban furthered their relationship with Al Qaeda, and instead of limiting their capabilities, they are working alongside each other now reportedly. One of the biggest terms in the entire agreement was broken because of this. This raises tons of questions on whether they have rushed into a deal that is doomed to eventually fail at the end, or whether the support Trump will gain for this deal is large enough to sacrifice the effects it may have on Afghanistan and the US.
The point behind this entire agreement with the Taliban was supposed to be a turning point for President Trump. It should’ve brought hope and a feeling of triumph for ending a two-decade war, in additions to the millions of lives that were lost in the past 20 years or so. Yet, the only feeling it brought amongst the citizens of the US is a fear that a 9/11 attack could be relived all over again, with no authority and no supervision over the actions of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.