Taking a hard look at Taliban deal: US NSA

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Biden is “taking a hard look” at how the Taliban are honouring the peace pact they signed with the US last year.

Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan asked the Taliban Friday to participate in “real … not fake” negotiations with the Afghan government.

Al-Jazeera quoted him as saying: “What we’re doing right now is taking a hard look at the extent to which the Taliban are complying with those three conditions…”

In that context, the security advisor added, they took decisions about the US force posture and diplomatic strategy going forward.

About the May 1 deadline for withdrawing all US forces from Afghanistan, Sullivan said the deal imposed certain conditions on the Taliban

He said under the agreement, the Taliban had to severe ties with terrorist groups, including al Qaeda, meaningfully reduce levels of violence and contribute towards ceasefires.

The third condition is that the militant movement will participate in a real way in peace negotiations with the Afghan government.

The Biden administration was supporting the ongoing peace negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban, the US security advisor explained.

The NSA remarked: “And we want to support negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban and others to get to a just and sustainable outcome.”

On Thursday, the Pentagon said “it is very hard to see a way forward with the agreement without the Taliban meeting their commitments.”

PAN Monitor/mud