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Peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are due to start tomorrow in Doha. The United States has announced another troop withdrawal, but violence is on the rise.
By Bernd Musch-Borowska, ARD Studio South Asia
More than half a year after the signing of a peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban, the intra-Afghan dialogue is ready to begin. Negotiations will begin tomorrow in Doha, confirmed representatives of both parties. The United States government welcomed the appointment.
The Taliban are already in Doha and the Afghan government delegation, led by the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, will arrive later today, he said. The Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, will also be there, announced last night President Donald Trump in Washington. He spoke of a historical journey.
“We have been negotiating with the Taliban for some time, and there has been great progress. We have withdrawn several soldiers from there. We will shortly reduce our troops in Afghanistan to 4,000. We get along well with the Taliban and with them the representatives of Afghanistan. Let’s see. how things are going in the negotiation “.
Hope is long gone
Afghans celebrated the signing of the Doha peace agreement with music and dancing. But the hopeful mood has long since evaporated. Violence has increased again since then. In recent months, the Taliban have attacked Afghan government troops almost every day, and American soldiers have repeatedly been the target of attacks and attacks. Recently, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg once again called on the Taliban to honor their Doha commitments:
“The violence has not yet subsided as much as we hope. We call on the Taliban to reduce the violence and begin serious talks with the government. The Taliban must also sever all ties with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.” “
But ties between the Taliban and al-Qaeda persist, according to a UN report released in late May. Al Qaeda remains strong in Afghanistan and operates under the protection of the Taliban.
Connection with al-Qaeda as a reason for war 19 years ago
19 years ago, this connection was the trigger for the declaration of war against the Taliban. The leader of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, planned and controlled the attack on the World Trade Center in New York from Afghanistan. The president of the United States, George W. Bush, then ordered the intervention of the United States in Afghanistan with the aim of finding Osama bin Laden and overthrowing the Taliban who hosted him.
“This terrorist group and its leader, Osama bin Laden, is very influential in Afghanistan. He supports the Taliban regime in repressing the country. In Afghanistan we see the vision of Al Qaeda for the whole world. The United States respects the Afghan People, but we condemn the Taliban regime. Our enemy is a radical terrorist network and any government that supports this network. “
After US troops have largely withdrawn, other NATO countries may also bring their soldiers from Afghanistan. Around 1,000 Bundeswehr soldiers are still stationed in the Hindu Kush as part of Resolute Support’s training and support mission.
Solution to the conflict in question
However, it is questionable whether a solution to the conflict in Afghanistan can be found in the planned intra-Afghan dialogue. The ideas of the Taliban about the future of the country are hardly compatible with the social changes that have occurred in the last 19 years.
They want to re-establish an Islamic emirate of Afghanistan, with Sharia law, instead of the current constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Therefore, it remains uncertain whether peace will return to Afghanistan at the end of the Afghan internal dialogue that is now beginning.
