New Delhi: The Taliban have effectively taken control of much of Afghanistan, including the capital – Kabul, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to leave the collapsed government behind and flee the country. The situation has turned dire with most foreign missions sending back their officers and civilians as US troops have long lost hold and withdrawn from war-torn Afghanistan.
With the imminent capture of nearly the entire country, the Taliban have undone America’s two-decade-long war effort. Here’s a timeline of the progress of the peace talks and the revival of Islamic State.
A look at the US-Taliban equation and peace progress
February 2019: US-Taliban peace talks progress
After more than 18 years of conflict, the US and the Taliban signed “an agreement to bring about peace” in Afghanistan. US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and top Taliban official Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar hold talks on withdrawing their troops from the country in exchange for the Taliban vowing to stop international terrorist groups from operating on Afghan soil. Diplomacy talks from here indicated that then-President Donald Trump would withdraw about half of the total US deployment. The US urged the Taliban to participate in an intra-Afghan dialogue on a ceasefire along with the country’s political structure.
Read also | Afghanistan crisis: China ‘welcomed’ to deepen ties with Taliban
September 2019: US calls off peace talks
In a sudden move just a week after US top negotiator Khalilzad announced an agreement was reached “in principle”, then US President Donald Trump in a tweet announced peace talks and canceled a secret meeting with the Taliban and Afghans. Did it President Ghani after an American soldier was killed in a Taliban attack. From there, tensions escalated as the Taliban agreed to “continuous talks”, but warned of an increase in the number of deaths if the talks were “canceled”.
February 2020: US-Taliban deal on the road to peace
The US and the Taliban signed a deal in which the Taliban vowed not to use the country for terrorist activities. While the deal stated that intra-Afghan talks should begin next month, the Afghan president said the Taliban would have to meet the conditions of their government before entering into talks. Within days of signing the deal, the Taliban attacked dozens of Afghan security forces. The US military retaliated to the airstrike, once again making the situation serious.
September 2020: Intra-Afghan peace talks begin
After nearly twenty years of war, the Taliban and the Afghan government met in Doha for the first time when the Afghan government completed the release of five thousand Taliban prisoners. After months of delay, the two sides began direct talks and expressed their eagerness to bring peace to Afghanistan and establish a framework for Afghan society after the withdrawal of US troops. During the talks, the Afghan government called for a ceasefire, while the Taliban insisted on governing the country through an Islamic system.
November 2020: US announces withdrawal of troops
Days before Joe Biden took office as officially elected president, acting US Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller announced a reduction in the number of troops in Afghanistan to 2,500 by mid-January. The announcement came as talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban came to a standstill and the terrorist group continued to carry out deadly attacks. While thousands of troops had already been withdrawn following an agreement with the Taliban in February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that withdrawing troops could allow the Taliban to rebuild their caliphate, allowing the country Will become an open land for terrorists.
April 2021: Biden calls for full withdrawal of US troops by 9/11
“The time has come to end America’s longest war,” announced US President Joe Biden, as the US would withdraw all troops by September 11, 2021, instead of May 1. According to the latest plan, the remaining 3,500 troops will be withdrawn in Afghanistan. regardless of whether progress has been made in intra-Afghan peace talks or the Taliban reduce their attacks on Afghan security forces and civilians. While the US pledged to assist Afghan security forces and support the peace process, the Taliban refused to participate in any conference on the future of Afghanistan until all foreign troops were gone.
.