US sends special envoy to pressure 5 countries as fighting intensifies in Afghanistan

Faced with these complicated developments, the US has hastily sent special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad to visit five related countries to ensure the peace process in the South Asian country proceeds as planned.

Busy schedule

Departing midweek, Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad's destination is a series of five countries related to the Afghanistan issue. They are Qatar, Pakistan, Norway, Bulgaria and of course Afghanistan. It should be noted that the US government is on the path to reducing troops in Afghanistan according to the agreement reached in February with the Taliban. This agreement is intended to pave the way for formal peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad. Photo: AP

The Taliban have so far refused to sit down at the negotiating table with the Kabul government, considering it a “puppet” of Washington. Therefore, after reaching the first step of the agreement between the US and the Taliban earlier this year, the task of special envoy Zalmay during this trip is to ensure that both sides can sit down at the negotiating table.

In Qatar and Afghanistan, Mr. Zalmay is expected to insist on resolving remaining issues before intra-Afghan talks, namely a final prisoner exchange and a reduction in violence, two thorny issues that are hindering progress toward launching peace talks.

In the latest statement, the US State Department also emphasized that although prisoner exchanges have made significant progress, this issue needs further efforts to be resolved as soon as possible. And the capital of Qatar, Doha, has the advantage of being the place where many rounds of negotiations between the US government and the Taliban have taken place in recent times.

In Pakistan, Mr. Zalmay is likely to seek Islamabad’s support in pushing forward the neighboring country’s crucial intra-Afghan talks. Meanwhile, in Norway and Bulgaria, Mr. Zalmay will update NATO allies on the Afghan peace process. Observers say the parties involved in the Afghan issue have probably never been “closer” and working more closely than they are now, as they begin intra-Afghan talks – a crucial step toward ending the 40-year war in the South Asian country.

A negotiation between Mr. Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Al Jazeera

Unpredictable terrain

There is no question about the Washington administration’s determination to withdraw its troops and to be able to peacefully handle the costly war in Afghanistan. However, the unpredictable battlefield with elements that have had grudges for decades is making the peace process that the US desires encounter many obstacles.

This week, Special Envoy Khalilzad himself condemned the July 22 airstrikes by security forces against Taliban militants in the western border with Iran, which killed 45 people, including Taliban members and civilians. In addition, on July 21, the Afghan Ministry of Defense also announced a suicide bombing targeting a military convoy in the central province of Wardak, killing at least eight soldiers and wounding nine. Notably, the Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

In recent weeks, fighting between the Afghan government and the Taliban has escalated after the government refused to release nearly 600 Taliban prisoners, citing their involvement in major attacks. It is also worth noting that the prisoner exchange between the Taliban and the Kabul government was part of a peace deal signed in February between the US and the Taliban. Under the agreement, the government would release about 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for the freedom of more than 1,000 Afghan soldiers. After the exchange stalled, both sides took steps to escalate the situation.

An Afghan man wearing a face mask walks past a mural depicting US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Kabul, Afghanistan April 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Face but heart

On the US side, since mid-July, the US Department of Defense announced that it has withdrawn troops from five military bases in Afghanistan and is currently maintaining a troop presence in the country of only about 8,500. This is a step in the plan of US President Donald Trump, which was made in his election pledge in 2016. Accordingly, Mr. Trump pledged that if elected, he would withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and end the US military's longest war abroad.

The realization of this commitment is even more important as the important presidential election in the US is about to take place. Therefore, despite the complicated epidemic situation in the country and the "consular war" with China, President Trump immediately had to send a Special Envoy to make a tour to 5 such countries.

However, despite the Afghan government’s declaration that it would not obstruct the internal negotiations with the Taliban, everyone saw an attitude of “showing respect but not being satisfied”. Clearly, this country was excluded from the agreement between the US and the Taliban. And of course, the document signed in February did not mention anything about the future of the current Kabul government.

Taliban fighters and civilians at a meeting celebrating the US-Taliban peace deal reached in February. Photo: NurPhoto - Getty

Meanwhile, the Taliban rebels, once considered terrorists, have become direct negotiating partners with the US, and are considered by Washington as an indispensable factor in the path to peace in Afghanistan. This has obviously made the Afghan government “feel sad”, and at the same time, they must prepare for possible unfavorable situations.

Looking back over the past time, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has repeatedly ordered the army to switch to an “offensive mode” instead of a defensive policy; and the Taliban has not hesitated to declare their readiness to counterattack. Therefore, despite the US’s appeals or the visits of the Special Envoy to Afghanistan like this time, once the interests of all parties are not really clear, the negotiation process towards a peaceful future for this South Asian country cannot proceed as smoothly as expected!