KABUL despite efforts to end the war.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the influential Senate Armed Services Committee that oversees the US military, was speaking to reporters at the US Embassy in Kabul. She also stressed that the Afghan women.
Last year, US President Donald Trump had said he wanted to slash America’s 14,000-strong troop presence in Afghanistan by about half, prompting criticism he was seeking to rush a withdrawal.
“What we’ve heard here (is) that whatever negotiated settlement ends the conflict, that it be done in a way that’s very deliberate, that ensures a transition that all sides can participate in, and that there should not be a precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Shaheen said.
Congressional colleagues agreed, she said, adding “that’s the position of the administration as well”.
“There is a deliberate position that may not always be reflected in the tweets that come from the White House,” she said, referring to Trump’s penchant of firing off unexpected foreign policy messages.
Shaheen also sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is the only woman on the panel.
She said it is vital for women to be included in talks with the Taliban. “What we know from the data is that when women are engaged, there is about a 35 percent more likely chance that those negotiations will … endure for a longer period of time,” Shaheen said.
“It’s important that “whatever comes out of any peace negotiations, that we support having women at the table.”
A fresh round of talks between Afghan political leaders, including some officials from the Kabul government, and the Taliban is expected to take place later this month in the Qatari capital Doha.
The makeup of the delegation has not yet been announced, but an initial list reportedly only had two female participants.
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