Donald Trump says he canceled peace talks with Taliban over Kabul attack

[Abdullah719]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he canceled peace talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders after the insurgent group said it was behind an attack in Kabul that killed an American soldier and 11 other people.

“If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway,” Trump said on Twitter, saying he had been planning to meet with Taliban leaders on Sunday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-with-taliban-over-kabul-attack-idUSKCN1VS0TJ

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday. They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to..</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1170469618177236992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">....an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position? They didn’t, they....</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1170469619154530305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">....only made it worse! If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway. How many more decades are they willing to fight?</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1170469621348098049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Ronaldo7]

Vietnam all over again

 

[KingKhanWC]

Doubt Trump can tie his own shoe laces let alone make a peace deal with the Taliban. The Taliban have a pre-condition to a peace deal, all foriegn troops off Afghan soil. The Yanks dont like this but were hoping the Taliban would come to an agreement with a small number present but this has not occured.

As for breaking the talks because of attacks, the Taliban have been attacking the puppet government for years since the talks oringally began. Its best for the Yanks to admit defeat and leave.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

So were the peace talks fake news all along?

 

[Pakistanian]

Bueno.

The Taliban are idiots.

 

[SamNJ]

All of a sudden ? These attacks are going on at almost an hourly basis.
I feel Trump wanted to show his people that he wants to pull out.
Now he will try to convince them that why complete pull out is not wise when Taliban are doing this.
While in reality US deep state would never want to get out of Afghanistan.

 

[PakLFC]

That is probably want the Taliban wanted. Afghanistan has no economy to worry about at all! The Taliban has all the time in the world to fight until the American's obey them.

 

[MenInG]

US President Donald Trump says he has cancelled a peace deal with the Taliban.

Mr Trump tweeted he had been set to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and senior Taliban leaders on Sunday.

But he cancelled the meeting at his Camp David retreat after the Taliban admitted it carried out a recent attack in Kabul that killed a US soldier.

US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad had announced a peace deal "in principle" with the Taliban on Monday.

This comes after nine rounds of talks between the US and Taliban representatives, held in Doha, the capital of the Gulf state of Qatar.

"Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, [the Taliban] admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers," the president tweeted.

"I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations."

As part of the proposed deal, the US would withdraw 5,400 troops from Afghanistan within 20 weeks. However Mr Khalilzad said final approval still rested with Mr Trump.

The US currently has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan

What about the attacks in Afghanistan?
On Thursday, a Kabul car bombing carried out by the Taliban killed 12 people, including a US soldier.

A Romanian soldier serving with the Nato-led mission in the country was also killed.

The attack - the latest in a series of almost daily acts of violence - highlights fears that US negotiations with the Taliban won't end the daily violence in Afghanistan and its toll on civilians.

Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski said that inviting the Taliban to Camp David was "weird", adding he supported the president's change of plan.

"Everyone knew they've been continuously committing terrorist attacks. But I'm glad the president called off this farce, and hope this good decision sticks," tweeted Mr Malinowski.

Ever since the US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul a week ago with news of "a deal in principle," there have been almost daily Taliban attacks, and a growing chorus of anger in Afghanistan - and the US.

The Taliban say they're targeting foreign forces. But time and again, Afghan civilians are suffering.

The new agreement is said to only include a commitment to reduce violence. A senior US diplomat explained they'd accepted the Taliban argument that a ceasefire was their main bargaining chip for Afghan talks set to follow the US negotiations.

A senior Afghan official angrily told me "a ceasefire is our bargaining chip too," insisting the government would not accept the current deal. Afghan leaders accuse the US of bestowing legitimacy on the Taliban, which has only emboldened them.

There is also mounting scepticism, now voiced by President Trump, that any commitments made by Taliban negotiators in Doha won't be kept by commanders in the field

What does each side want from the talks?
The militants now control more territory than at any time since the 2001 US invasion and have so far refused to talk to the Afghan government, whom they deride as American puppets.

In exchange for the US troop withdrawal, the Taliban would ensure that Afghanistan would never again be used as a base for militant groups seeking to attack the US and its allies.

Some in Afghanistan fear that a deal could see hard-won rights and freedoms eroded. The militants enforced strict religious laws and treated women brutally during their rule from 1996 to 2001.

Nearly 3,500 members of the international coalition forces have died in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion, more than 2,300 of them American.

The figures for Afghan civilians, militants and government forces are more difficult to quantify. In a February 2019 report, the UN said that more than 32,000 civilians had died. The Watson Institute at Brown University says 58,000 security personnel and 42,000 opposition combatants have been killed.



https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49624132

 

[Major]

Well trump is right.

You cant carry out attacks while also trying to do a peacedeal.

Plus they killed a US soldier, countries dont take this as lightly. Maybe pakistan does.....

Anyways, the taliban dogs can never be negotiated with and they will continue to be problematic for everyone.

 

[Major]

US presence only make this region safe or better. The moment they are gone with no millitary influence, the talib dogs might takeover the country again and enforce their idiotic laws...

And than they slowly try to move into our land aswell.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Well trump is right.

You cant carry out attacks while also trying to do a peacedeal.

Plus they killed a US soldier, countries dont take this as lightly. Maybe pakistan does.....

Anyways, the taliban dogs can never be negotiated with and they will continue to be problematic for everyone.

So what was the point of the peace deal in the first place?

 

[Ronaldo7]

US presence only make this region safe or better. The moment they are gone with no millitary influence, the talib dogs might takeover the country again and enforce their idiotic laws...

And than they slowly try to move into our land aswell.

None of pak's concern
We need our soldiers off the west border

 

[Lonewarrior]

lol at trump.

 

[Major]

None of pak's concern
We need our soldiers off the west border

Wait what???

This very much is paks concern.

Many of the ttp dogs ran away towards afghanistan. Some of them joined the isis group there. It was reported that there are still 300 ttp members in afgahnistan.

I often find it funny that often pathans bost about fighting and not being captured but they often forget when they were captured by ttp.

TTP top leadership only got jolted when the US forces killed them.

Pakistan only benefits when the uS force has its presence

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I cant argue nor wana learn anything from a person who sees the taliban dogs as freedom fighters.

Really surprised with the people living in UK. Hope authorities do know they have taliban sympathisers living amongest them

This is Britain, people aren't locked up for criticising US invasion of other countries. Afghanistan has their own army, they should use it to put down insurgents rather than allow foreign forces to occupy their country.

Do you think we Brits would allow a foreign force to come into our country and bomb Brits?

 

[kk1992]

Wait what???

This very much is paks concern.

Many of the ttp dogs ran away towards afghanistan. Some of them joined the isis group there. It was reported that there are still 300 ttp members in afgahnistan.

I often find it funny that often pathans bost about fighting and not being captured but they often forget when they were captured by ttp.

TTP top leadership only got jolted when the US forces killed them.

Pakistan only benefits when the uS force has its presence

You believe 14,000 US troops are protecting Pakistan from TTP and other organization? If you do then you have a very naive view of geo-politics.

 

[Major]

This is Britain, people aren't locked up for criticising US invasion of other countries. Afghanistan has their own army, they should use it to put down insurgents rather than allow foreign forces to occupy their country.

Do you think we Brits would allow a foreign force to come into our country and bomb Brits?

Afghanistan is not like Britain.

You leave Afghanistan on its own, eventually crazy idiots like Taliban or even the ISIS will take over.

Taliban still controls lands in that country. And when the talibs come into power they dont enforce a proper govt, they enforce laws that are against the human rights.

Taliban's demand is that they want to take over the country and run it, and the world has seen their way of running govt.

And Pakistan will again fund the taliban or help it getting into power. Because Afghanistan is currently pro India, but Pakistani establishment could easily get the taliban govt on its side on the narrative of Islam.

As for Afghan Forces. They are a joke and probably cant even survive without aid. The govt fails to fund its army even with a lesser promised amount.

US just wants to make sure that its soldiers or people working in the Embassy are not targeted as they pull out.
But once they pull out, there will be havoc and it will eventually spread towards Pakistan.

 

[Major]

You believe 14,000 US troops are protecting Pakistan from TTP and other organization? If you do then you have a very naive view of geo-politics.

At the end of the day, it was a US drone that killed Fazlullah. ANd his death makes Pakistan more safer from the TTP

 

[kk1992]

At the end of the day, it was a US drone that killed Fazlullah. ANd his death makes Pakistan more safer from the TTP

Cherry picking while ignoring bigger picture.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Afghanistan is not like Britain.

You leave Afghanistan on its own, eventually crazy idiots like Taliban or even the ISIS will take over.

Taliban still controls lands in that country. And when the talibs come into power they dont enforce a proper govt, they enforce laws that are against the human rights.

Taliban's demand is that they want to take over the country and run it, and the world has seen their way of running govt.

And Pakistan will again fund the taliban or help it getting into power. Because Afghanistan is currently pro India, but Pakistani establishment could easily get the taliban govt on its side on the narrative of Islam.

As for Afghan Forces. They are a joke and probably cant even survive without aid. The govt fails to fund its army even with a lesser promised amount.

US just wants to make sure that its soldiers or people working in the Embassy are not targeted as they pull out.
But once they pull out, there will be havoc and it will eventually spread towards Pakistan.

If Taliban govt will be more friendly towards Pakistan, then frankly that will be in Pakistan's interests. The US installed govt is very hostile to Pakistan and this is causing a lot of problems.

I personally don't believe in religious govts, but if Afghans can't defeat the Taliban with their own army, then that suggests too many people support the Taliban.

Pakistan needs friendly neighbours, you just have to look at their other border to see how pointless it is to try and improve relations with India. You for example might look longingly at India and wish they would give you a visa, but they never will. Not even if you become a Hindu and try to join other minorities who are invited there. They would be suspicious that your ghar wapsi was a sham.

 

[syed abbas]

Thumbs up for Donald Trump.A bold decision!!!!
The Taliban increased the frequency of attacks,killing a large number of people,as the date of the peace deal drew closer.By being more aggressive,the Taliban wanted to achieve three aims.

Firstly,they wanted to dispel any notion they were surrendering by making a peace deal with America.Infact,they wanted the world to believe that America,not the Taliban,wanted a peace deal.

Secondly,they were trying to show their military might to their opponents,especially the Ghani government,were any civil war to break out after American withdrawal.

Lastly,they want to negotiate with their opponents from a position of strength.In case of any intra-Afghan dialogue,the Taliban want to dominate;they think that they can dominate in such dialogue if they have a upper-hand militarily.

WHAT SHOULD PAKISTAN DO NOW?

Pakistan must not provide any kind of help to the Afghan Taliban.Pakistan faces the threat of being blacklisted by the FATF. Relations with America are far from ideal.The situation in Kashmir is tense.Our economic condition is not good.Against such backdrop,being blamed for supporting a militant group is the last thing that Pakistan wants.However,the good thing is that the establishment seems to have understood the perils of using militant groups as strategic assets.This time,we did not see religious groups,such as the Difa e Pakistan Council,protesting against Indian govertnment.

 

[Major]

If Taliban govt will be more friendly towards Pakistan, then frankly that will be in Pakistan's interests. The US installed govt is very hostile to Pakistan and this is causing a lot of problems.

I personally don't believe in religious govts, but if Afghans can't defeat the Taliban with their own army, then that suggests too many people support the Taliban.

Pakistan needs friendly neighbours, you just have to look at their other border to see how pointless it is to try and improve relations with India. You for example might look longingly at India and wish they would give you a visa, but they never will. Not even if you become a Hindu and try to join other minorities who are invited there. They would be suspicious that your ghar wapsi was a sham.

A taliban govt in Afghanistan with shariah law imposed will only inspire TTP and all the religious fanatics living in Pakistan.
And for obvious reasons the current govt is hostile to Pakistan due to the pangas we have taken with them in the past. Pakistan will end up destroying their relations more if they agian fund the taliban in to power.

Also, taliban coming into power by force doesnt mean people support them. When TTP came took over Sawat and kept returning to control 80% of the area, people didnt support it. THey had to live under their rule by force.

And i am sorry if i dont go on bashing India all the time like you might do and thus you might think i want to join them.

 

[Major]

Thumbs up for Donald Trump.A bold decision!!!!
The Taliban increased the frequency of attacks,killing a large number of people,as the date of the peace deal drew closer.By being more aggressive,the Taliban wanted to achieve three aims.

Firstly,they wanted to dispel any notion they were surrendering by making a peace deal with America.Infact,they wanted the world to believe that America,not the Taliban,wanted a peace deal.

Secondly,they were trying to show their military might to their opponents,especially the Ghani government,were any civil war to break out after American withdrawal.

Lastly,they want to negotiate with their opponents from a position of strength.In case of any intra-Afghan dialogue,the Taliban want to dominate;they think that they can dominate in such dialogue if they have a upper-hand militarily.

WHAT SHOULD PAKISTAN DO NOW?

Pakistan must not provide any kind of help to the Afghan Taliban.Pakistan faces the threat of being blacklisted by the FATF. Relations with America are far from ideal.The situation in Kashmir is tense.Our economic condition is not good.Against such backdrop,being blamed for supporting a militant group is the last thing that Pakistan wants.However,the good thing is that the establishment seems to have understood the perils of using militant groups as strategic assets.This time,we did not see religious groups,such as the Difa e Pakistan Council,protesting against Indian govertnment.

Well said. Infact, i believe posters here likke KKWC would had even boost the first point you mention.

Infact i find it funny how posters here say that Taliban won this war, but ever since US invaded Afghanistan, they not only threw taliban out of the govt but chased them like wild pigs.

But let me remind you on the very last point that Pakistani establishment will eventaully fund the taliban into power to have good relations with Afghani govt.
Its better if the current Afghani govt tries to have friendly relations with the govt of Pakistan. Everyone knows Pakistan is not gonna stop, we never learn from out mistakes

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Well said. Infact, i believe posters here likke KKWC would had even boost the first point you mention.

Infact i find it funny how posters here say that Taliban won this war, but ever since US invaded Afghanistan, they not only threw taliban out of the govt but chased them like wild pigs.

But let me remind you on the very last point that Pakistani establishment will eventaully fund the taliban into power to have good relations with Afghani govt.
Its better if the current Afghani govt tries to have friendly relations with the govt of Pakistan. Everyone knows Pakistan is not gonna stop, we never learn from out mistakes

The current Afghan govt won't have friendly relations with Pakistan because they are being funded heavily by India to maintain a hostile stance. Don't be so naive. Why would Pakistan want a panga with Afghans?

 

[Greenstorm]

Deal or no deal, Pakistan should keep supporting Afghan Taliban so that we remain an important player in Afghanistan. We should act proactively to quash Indian/anti-Pakistan element inside Afghan territory, thus pushing wars away from our borders deep into Afghanistan.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Well said. Infact, i believe posters here likke KKWC would had even boost the first point you mention.

Infact i find it funny how posters here say that Taliban won this war, but ever since US invaded Afghanistan, they not only threw taliban out of the govt but chased them like wild pigs.

But let me remind you on the very last point that Pakistani establishment will eventaully fund the taliban into power to have good relations with Afghani govt.
Its better if the current Afghani govt tries to have friendly relations with the govt of Pakistan. Everyone knows Pakistan is not gonna stop, we never learn from out mistakes

Since you mentioned me, please explain where you came up with Pakistan being safer after the invasion of Aghanistan? surely this confirms you know little?

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThisWeekABC</a>, Mike Pompeo says American forces have "killed over 1,000 Taliban" in the last 10 days alone &#55357;&#56883; <a href="https://t.co/pa51GgGtMX">pic.twitter.com/pa51GgGtMX</a></p>— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1170735407484538882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Dubious claims....

 

[KingKhanWC]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThisWeekABC</a>, Mike Pompeo says American forces have "killed over 1,000 Taliban" in the last 10 days alone �� <a href="https://t.co/pa51GgGtMX">pic.twitter.com/pa51GgGtMX</a></p>— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1170735407484538882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Dubious claims....

)

Is he related to Modi?

 

[Gilly]

This is Britain, people aren't locked up for criticising US invasion of other countries. Afghanistan has their own army, they should use it to put down insurgents rather than allow foreign forces to occupy their country.

Do you think we Brits would allow a foreign force to come into our country and bomb Brits?

Germany did come and bomb the Brits and it was the US that saved them.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Germany did come and bomb the Brits and it was the US that saved them.

Germany were at war with us, that is why they bombed Britain, they didn't come and bomb British territory on invitation. But I am sure you know this.

The US joined the rest of the world in the fight against Nazi power, they didn't save Britain, they were part of the alliance which fought together in a world war where every nation was aligned to one side or the other.

 

[Markhor]

Dumb move by Taliban. They were about to get what they've wanted for 18 years, an agreement with the US for troop withdrawal, but launched this senseless attack.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Dumb move by Taliban. They were about to get what they've wanted for 18 years, an agreement with the US for troop withdrawal, but launched this senseless attack.

Did they ever state attacks will not take place during any peace talks?

It would be simple if the Yanks just left. They dont care about Afghanistan or peace in the country, we all know this.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on Afghanistan peace talks: "They're dead, as far as I'm concerned" <a href="https://t.co/0HdBDxBcWB">https://t.co/0HdBDxBcWB</a> <a href="https://t.co/XGwbY8DMwj">pic.twitter.com/XGwbY8DMwj</a></p>— CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1171140033253924872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[topspin]

Excellent decision by Trump.

US soldiers in Afghanistan is in Pakistan's interests.

I don't want them spreading their extremism across to Pakistan.

 

[BaankeJi]

All of a sudden ? These attacks are going on at almost an hourly basis.
I feel Trump wanted to show his people that he wants to pull out.
Now he will try to convince them that why complete pull out is not wise when Taliban are doing this.
While in reality US deep state would never want to get out of Afghanistan.

Trump wanted to show that he made the peace possible. But when an American soldier was killed, he doesn't want to show himself as someone who bargained for peace even as Taliban was busy killing Americans.

 

[BaankeJi]

Did they ever state attacks will not take place during any peace talks?

It would be simple if the Yanks just left. They dont care about Afghanistan or peace in the country, we all know this.

You can't have peace with someone who wants to kill you. No need to have a statement for that!

 

[troodon]

Obviously Taliban does not want any peace talks. They are dogs who just want to keep killing and bullying innocent people.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Obviously Taliban does not want any peace talks. They are dogs who just want to keep killing and bullying innocent people.

This is probably quite close to the truth. Taliban are not very good at governing, for these guys their whole purpose in life is jihad. Allied to the general Afghan appetite for warfare, they are probably quite happy to carry on fighting whoever is around to pick a fight with.

I hope Trump has budgeted for it, I don't think this is what he had in mind when he wrote his best seller, The Art of the Deal.

 

[Major]

Did they ever state attacks will not take place during any peace talks?

It would be simple if the Yanks just left. They dont care about Afghanistan or peace in the country, we all know this.

so you are saying the recent suicide attack was justified by the taliban?

 

[Hitman]

Obviously Taliban does not want any peace talks. They are dogs who just want to keep killing and bullying innocent people.

Dogs are extremely faithful and lovely animals. They are called man’s best friend. It’s an insult to them to be compared with terrorists.

 

[Lonewarrior]

as if talibans are dying to make a peace deal.

 

[miandadrules]

From what I’ve read it seems the geniuses on the US side had set up peace talks with the taliban but at no point had they informed or consulted the Afghan government.

This attack is just being used as an excuse to save face.

Make no mistake, the US isn’t leaving Afghanistan nor Pakistan anytime soon. It has lot more to loot yet.

 

[miandadrules]

as if talibans are dying to make a peace deal.

They have consistently made overtures over the last 18 years.

 

[Lonewarrior]

From what I’ve read it seems the geniuses on the US side had set up peace talks with the taliban but at no point had they informed or consulted the Afghan government.

This attack is just being used as an excuse to save face.

Make no mistake, the US isn’t leaving Afghanistan nor Pakistan anytime soon. It has lot more to loot yet.

and make no mistake, talibans arent going anywhere too. half of afghanistan is under taliban control. talibans have russia and china back.

 

[miandadrules]

and make no mistake, talibans arent going anywhere too. half of afghanistan is under taliban control. talibans have russia and china back.

Taliban’s survival is dependent on foreign patronage which is very fickle.

The Chinese are already laying the foundations for neutering the Taliban.

The rationale being by investing in the Afghan economy and allowing the natives to prosper, if only a little, the hold extremist groups and ideologies have waned.

 

[Greenstorm]

Excellent decision by Trump.

US soldiers in Afghanistan is in Pakistan's interests.

I don't want them spreading their extremism across to Pakistan.

No, US presence in Afghanistan ensures the rule of current puppet Afghan government over Kabul and some northern provinces. And we all know the relationship of puppet government with India.

So less US troops means weaker Indian/anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistan.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Taliban’s survival is dependent on foreign patronage which is very fickle.

The Chinese are already laying the foundations for neutering the Taliban.

The rationale being by investing in the Afghan economy and allowing the natives to prosper, if only a little, the hold extremist groups and ideologies have waned.

Good for them then. If more foreign interventionists could help the natives prosper then they would have less reason to pick up guns and join the Taliban in the first place. But of course, the Chinese won't be the only players in Afghanistan, and if the US is hanging around they might not be that keen on watching China developing clout there.

 

[miandadrules]

Good for them then. If more foreign interventionists could help the natives prosper then they would have less reason to pick up guns and join the Taliban in the first place. But of course, the Chinese won't be the only players in Afghanistan, and if the US is hanging around they might not be that keen on watching China developing clout there.

The Chinese strategy ensures foreign interests won’t leave for a very long time.

The African shadow war is another such example.

 

[blackanhyellow]

Unfortunately, this war is not a winnable one, for either side.

Its a war of attrition between the taliban's will and the united states will / tax dollars.

If not today, 5, 10, 15 years from now, there will be some sort of deal.

The longer this drags on the worse for the innocent civilians.

 

[blackanhyellow]

Obviously Taliban does not want any peace talks. They are dogs who just want to keep killing and bullying innocent people.

Well, the way I read it is they do want a peace deal.

Their attacks were meant to pressure the Kabul government as well as United States to agree to peace terms more favorable to the taliban.

Perhaps they over reached, or perhaps cancelling peace talks were Trump's way of getting a peace deal more favorable to the States.

Trump says the United States wanted to keep a small number of troops in AFG indefinitely, which the Taliban outright refused.

Looks like both sides are playing a game of chicken right now, to see who will give up more concessions.

 

[blackanhyellow]

You can't have peace with someone who wants to kill you. No need to have a statement for that!

You can only negotiate for peace with people that you dont have peace with. That is the whole point of peace talks.

 

[Abdullah719]

40 Taliban members killed by US-backed forces

Two senior Taliban leaders and at least 38 fighters have been killed by US-backed Afghan forces.

The strikes were carried out in northern and western regions of Afghanistan on Saturday night.

A senior security official in the capital Kabul said the attack was intended to foil action planned by the Taliban on Afghan forces.

Clashes between the two sides have escalated following the breakdown of diplomatic talks planned between the group and America earlier this month.

The Taliban's designate governor for northern Samangan province, Mawlavi Nooruddin, was killed in Dara-e-Soof Payeen district, according to the defence ministry.

This was rejected by the Taliban, with spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid saying: "He is alive."

A statement from an Afghanistan official, Mohibullah Mohib, that Mullah Sayed Azim, a Taliban designate governor for Anar Dara district in western Farah, was also killed was not commented on by the group.

Elections are to be held in Afghanistan on 28 September, prompting senior security officials in Kabul to reveal a number of joint operations are being launched against Taliban and Islamic State fighters to prevent attacks.

Officials say 100,000 members of the security forces have been readied for polling day.

Violence has escalated in the region after US President Donald Trump cancelled plans to meet with leaders of the Taliban earlier this month in America just days before the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

He made the announcement after the Taliban said they were behind an attack which killed a US soldier and several others.

On Thursday, a Taliban suicide car bomber killed four Afghan special forces troops on the outskirts of Kabul.

More than 2,400 American troops have been killed since the US invaded Afghanistan to go after the Taliban, who were harbouring al Qaeda leaders responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

About 13,000 troops still remain in Afghanistan, and cancelling the talks appears to go against Mr Trump's pledge to withdraw them and end US involvement in the country.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has revoked its ban on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan.

The group gave a guarantee of security for the emergency crisis group's staff doing humanitarian work in areas under their control.

https://news.sky.com/story/40-taliban-members-killed-by-us-backed-forces-11810503

 

[The Viper]

Pakistan PM Presses Trump To Seek Taliban Deal

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday encouraged US President Donald Trump to restart talks with Afghanistan's Taliban, saying there ultimately had to be a political settlement.

"I am meeting with President Trump later on and I will tell that, look, there's not going to be a military solution," he told the Council on Foreign Relations before the two leaders' meeting later Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"For 19 years if you have not been able to succeed, you're not going to be able to succeed in another 19 years," Khan said.

Trump has frequently called for an end to America's longest war, launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and a senior US diplomat reached a deal to pull troops after a year of negotiating with Taliban.

But Trump abruptly ended talks earlier this month, revealing on Twitter that he had invited Taliban leaders to the United States but canceled their visit after a bombing in Kabul killed a US soldier.

Khan -- whose government has sought to use its influence with the Taliban -- admitted that Trump's snapping off diplomacy caught him off-guard.

"We read it in the paper. It should have been at least been discussed with us," he said.

Khan, a former cricket star who has long criticized military operations against extremists, discounted the possibility that the Taliban would topple the internationally recognized government in Kabul without US troops.

"I don't think the Taliban will be able to control the whole country. I think there will be a settlement," he said.

"I honestly believe that this is not the Taliban of 2001. There are lot of things that happened and I believe they will be more accommodating," he said.

The Taliban imposed an austere version of Islam on most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, banning music and girls' education and giving refuge to Al-Qaeda.

Khan also said he would make a new pitch to Trump to mediate on Kashmir, which is divided between Pakistan and India.

Trump a day earlier held a joint rally with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist whose government last month revoked the Muslim-majority region's autonomy and cut off most ordinary people's cellular and internet service.

https://www.ibtimes.com/pakistan-pm-presses-trump-seek-taliban-deal-2831480

 

[BaankeJi]

You can only negotiate for peace with people that you dont have peace with. That is the whole point of peace talks.

Then Taliban should not have agreed for peace talks. Once talks have started, they can't indulge in attacks.

 

[blackanhyellow]

Then Taliban should not have agreed for peace talks. Once talks have started, they can't indulge in attacks.

There was no ceasefire agreed.

If there was a ceasefire and someone broke it, that is a completely different story.

The ceasefire was to happen once the deal was signed.

You think the Afghan Army / American troops weren't trying to kill the other side while these talks were happening?

Not defending the Taliban, I just think that no war can be won in Afghanistan. It has to be some sort of political settlement. Deal should have been signed.

 

[chacha kashmiri]

Then Taliban should not have agreed for peace talks. Once talks have started, they can't indulge in attacks.

Wasn’t the taliban attacked while they were the legitimate government of Afghanistan
Same with Iraq and Libya

With the withdrawal of US troops from the NATO presence in Afghanistan , there is going to have be some sort of alliance with the taliban, whether that’s conducted in a deli in kandahar or whether in doha

 

[ReverseHit]

We need a neocon in office to turn back on this "peace with Taliban" drama. Too bad Trump conducts foreign policy like he is running a business, and jeopardizes long-term investments that America has made since WW II to have a presence in most regions of the world.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The U.S. and Afghan Taliban have begun discussing ways to revive a peace process after talks fell apart last month <a href="https://t.co/UTmqhoZjgw">https://t.co/UTmqhoZjgw</a></p>— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1183337872608452608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a> US resumes talks with Taliban in Doha: US source <a href="https://t.co/6la0EFAk9g">pic.twitter.com/6la0EFAk9g</a></p>— AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1203216477421105154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

US likely to pull out 4,000 troops from Afghanistan soon

Spoiler

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration intended to announce the drawdown of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan early next week, US officials told NBC News on Sunday.

“The drawdown could be … a unilateral concession to the Taliban,” other officials told CNN. “The smaller US military presence will be largely focused on counterterrorism operations against groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS-K,” they added.

The officials, however, acknowledged the expected withdrawal could “reduce considerably” the US military’s ability to train and advise local Afghan forces.

The United States still has between 12,000 and 13,000 troops in Afghanistan.

The officials who spoke to NBC News said this would be a phased withdrawal that would occur over a few months, but they did not say when it would begin.

US President Donald Trump promised to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan during the 2016 presidential campaign and has made several attempts to start the process since coming to power.

US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper told an audience in Washington last week that the withdrawal would happen even if the Taliban did not finalise an agreement. Gen Scott Miller, the commander of US troops in Afghanistan, said later that he could sustain a reduction in forces.

One of the former defence officials said the withdrawal announcement was “part of trying to reset the talks with the Taliban”. This would allow US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to urge the Taliban that the two sides restart negotiations where they left off, with the US withdrawing troops and the Taliban promising a ceasefire.

NBC News reported that the commander of US Central Command, Gen Frank McKenzie, participated in meetings on Thursday to discuss the footprint for US troops in the Middle East. The discussion included the issue of increasing the US military footprint in other parts of the Middle East to counter the “threat from Iran”.

The New York Times noted in an earlier report that one of America’s major goals in Afghanistan had been to train thousands of Afghan troops and it had spent billions of dollars to achieve that target.

“But nobody in Afghanistan — not the American military, and not President Ashraf Ghani’s top advisers — thinks Afghan military forces could support themselves,” NYT reported. “The Afghan army, in particular, suffers from increasing casualty rates and desertion.”

Another report in The Washington Post said that US military trainers described the Afghan security forces “as incompetent, unmotivated and rife with deserters”. The report claimed that Afghan commanders “pocket salaries — paid by US taxpayers — for tens of thousands of ghost soldiers”.

No US military trainer “expressed confidence that the Afghan army and police could ever fend off, much less defeat, the Taliban on their own,” the Post added.

The office of the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar) noted that more than 60,000 members of Afghan security forces have been killed, a casualty rate that US commanders have called unsustainable.

A US military officer, interviewed by Sigar, estimated that one-third of police recruits were “drug addicts or Taliban”.

Since 2001, an estimated 157,000 people have been killed in the war in Afghanistan, forcing the United States to reconsider its stance on an apparently unending war.

So far, 64,124 Afghan security forces, 43,074 Afghan civilians, 42,100 Taliban fighters and other insurgents, 3,814 US contractors, 2,300 US military personnel, 1,145 Nato and coalition troops, 424 humanitarian aid workers and 67 journalists and media workers have been killed in 18 years of war in Afghanistan.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1522489/us-likely-to-pull-out-4000-troops-from-afghanistan-soon

 

[Abdullah719]

Afghan war: US, Taliban close to 'reduction in violence' deal

Spoiler

A US-Taliban agreement on the "reduction in violence" in Afghanistan is expected to be announced "very soon", the group's official has said.

"We have made some significant progress and will soon release a statement on the agreement on reduction of violence in Afghanistan," the Taliban official told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

The agreement could lead to the signing of a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban to end Afghanistan's 18-year war, the US's longest conflict.

The prospective deal would see the US pull thousands of troops from Afghanistan, in return for which the Taliban would provide various security guarantees and launch eventual talks with the Kabul government.

The Taliban has so far refused to speak to the West-backed government in Kabul, calling it a "puppet regime".

On Tuesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was informed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of "notable progress" in the continuing talks between the US and the Taliban in Qatar's capital, Doha

Washington also said late on Tuesday that an agreement on the group's "reduction of violence" offer was days away.

'Cautiously optimistic'
The Taliban maintains a political office in Doha, where US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad often meets the group's representatives in talks that seek to find a resolution to the Afghan war.

The talks had been deadlocked in part over a US demand that the armed group agree to significantly reduce violence as part of any American troop withdrawal accord.

US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, said on Tuesday he is "cautiously optimistic" there could be a US agreement with the Taliban over the next few days or weeks, but that a withdrawal of US forces is not "imminent".

The "reduction of violence" deal would call for the Taliban and the US to refrain from conducting attacks or combat operations for seven days, according to a person familiar with the continuing discussions, who was not authorised to discuss the proposal and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The agreement, which Trump would still have to sign off on, would be followed within 10 days by all-Afghan negotiations to set up a plan for the political future of a post-war Afghanistan.

There are currently about 13,000 US forces as well as thousands of other NATO troops in Afghanistan, 18 years after a US-led coalition invaded the country following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-reduction-violence-deal-200212103425423.html

 

[KingKhanWC]

Yanks looking to save face and not leave Afghanistan defeated as the Soviets did.

How embarrassing for the invaders of 40 nations.