Powerful path forward if Taliban live up to commitments: Trump

LAHORE: Nearly six months after the prospects of a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban had almost fallen apart, the two warring adversaries finally sat on the same table Saturday to ink a peace accord in a bid to end 18 years of extreme hostility.

When did the US-Taliban war formally commence:

While the first warplane and cruise missiles of the United States-led Allied forces had struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, the American boots had landed on the Afghan soil on October 19 of the same year.

Cost of this war: According to many esteemed American media houses, this war has cost $2 trillion and took the lives of more than 3,500 American and coalition troops. It goes without saying that more than 100,000 Afghans have been killed or wounded since 2009 when the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began documenting casualties.

America has often claimed that these attacks on its soil were plotted by Al-Qaeda leaders under the protection of the Taliban.

The main components of this US-Taliban deal: According to a joint statement released by the US and the Afghan government, America and NATO troops would withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months.

Currently, around 14,000 US troops and approximately 17,000 troops from 39 NATO allies and partner countries are stationed in Afghanistan in a non-combatant role

The “New York Times” has reported: “In the past five years, more than 50,000 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed, and tens of thousands wounded. The Taliban’s losses are harder to verify, but their casualty rate is believed to be comparable. Out of about 3,550 NATO coalition deaths in Afghanistan, nearly 2,400 have been Americans.”

Statement of US President Donald Trump:

“If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home.”

Statement of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani:

Afghan officials have expressed cautious hope. At the Kabul meeting, President Ashraf Ghani called for a moment of silence for those killed in the past 18 years.

He was quoted as saying: “Today can be a day of overcoming the past.”

The Joint US-Taliban statement:

"The United States will reduce the number of US military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in the US-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement."

The Indian reaction:

According to an eminent Indian media house, the “Business Standard,” India has reacted cautiously to US-Taliban peace deal, whereby stressing an end to externally sponsored terrorism.

India on Saturday said its consistent policy had been to support all opportunities that could bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and ensure an end of terrorism.

The Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar, said his country would continue to extend all support to Afghanistan as a contiguous neighbour.

The Taliban opinion:

The Taliban said they had reached a pact about the termination of occupation of Afghanistan, adding the agreement about the complete withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan and never intervening in its affairs in the future was undoubtedly a great achievement.

Having posted a picture of the Sheraton Hotel in Doha, the site of the signing of the US-Taliban deal, this is what Taliban’s multimedia chief had remarked on Twitter:

“This is the hotel that tomorrow will turn into a historic hotel. From here, the defeat of the arrogance of the White House in the face of the white turban will be announced.”

Viewpoint of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo:

Mike Pompeo had asserted: “The future of Afghanistan is for Afghans to determine. The U.S.-Taliban deal creates the conditions for Afghans to do just that. I know there will be a temptation to declare victory, but victory for Afghans will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper.”

The New York Times:

This prestigious American newspaper has maintained: “The United States signed a deal with the Taliban on Saturday that sets the stage to end America’s longest war — the nearly two-decade-old conflict in Afghanistan that began after the Sept. 11 attacks, killed tens of thousands of people, vexed three White House administrations and left mistrust and uncertainty on all sides.”

It further said: “The agreement lays out a timetable for the final withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan, the impoverished Central Asian country once unfamiliar to many Americans that now symbolizes endless conflict, foreign entanglements and a potential stage for terrorist plots. The war in Afghanistan in some ways echoes the American experience in Vietnam. In both, a superpower bet heavily on brute strength and the lives of its young, then walked away with seemingly little to show.”

The International Crisis Group:

Robert Malley, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group, has gone on to say: “No agreement is perfect, and the US-Taliban deal is no exception. But it represents the most hopeful step to end a war that has lasted two decades and taken countless American and especially Afghan lives. It ought to be celebrated, bolstered and built upon to reach a genuine intra-Afghan peace."