Pentagon: Taliban fails to meet commitments signed with US
(Baonghean.vn) - On May 5 (local time), US Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced that the Taliban forces have not met their commitments under the agreement signed this year, while there are signs that this fragile agreement is being strained by political deadlock and increasing violence from the Taliban.
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| US Secretary of Defense at a press conference in April. Photo: Reuters |
After lengthy behind-closed-doors talks, the Taliban and Washington signed a deal in February to reduce violence and move toward talks with the Afghan government, but the group's attacks have increased since then.
Speaking to reporters when asked if the Taliban were fulfilling their commitments, Esper said: “I don’t think they are.”
He added that he believed the Afghan government was also failing to meet its commitments. Esper asserted that the Afghan government and the Taliban “both need to sit down and make progress on the terms that have been outlined.” However, in reality, the Afghan government is not a party to the US-Taliban agreement.
Progress toward talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government has been delayed, in part because of political feuding between President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, both of whom claim to be Afghanistan's legitimate leader after elections last September.
The political deadlock comes as the Taliban has escalated its violence. The group has launched more than 4,500 attacks in Afghanistan in the 45 days since signing a deal with the United States that was intended to pave the way for the withdrawal of American troops.
The US is continuing to reduce its troop presence in Afghanistan, expected to reach 8,600 troops this summer.
Senior Western, Afghan and independent officials monitoring the situation on the ground say the increase in attacks shows the group is willing to break its commitment to reduce violence under a deal signed in late February.
