Ending U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks

Why in news?

US President Donald Trump announced the cessation of peace negotiations with the Taliban, which was aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan.

What happened?

The negotiations were over U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The objective was to get assurances from the Taliban of not letting the country to be used as a safe haven for terrorists targeting the U.S.
Mr Trump was about to host the Taliban as well as Afghan president Ashraf Ghani at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for secret talks.
In this backdrop, Trump’s tweets seem to have indicated the end, at least for now, to the negotiations conducted by the chief U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, with the Taliban.
Mr. Khalilzad had disclosed that he had reached an “in principle” agreement with the Taliban, but the details have not been revealed.
The Taliban said the US would "lose the most" for cancelling talks.

What is the reason?

The Taliban has been continually engaging in a series of attacks against civilians throughout the course of the talks.
One estimate suggests that it has engaged in 173 terror attacks resulting in close to 1300 fatalities in 2019 alone.
The Taliban has perversely used the attacks as a bargaining chip of sorts, to undermine the Afghanistan government.
Mr. Trump said that a recent suicide car bomb attack in Kabul was the trigger for his sudden decision to end the talks.
But little has changed in the Taliban’s behaviour to immediately call-off the talks.
So, this is seen as yet another instance when the U.S. President puts in personal diplomacy in the conduct of America’s foreign affairs.

What lies ahead?

Afghanistan continually witnesses violence, with the Taliban increasing its control over several provinces.
The government’s writ prevails only in the north-central parts of the country.
Given this, a durable peace, with the U.S. seeking early troop withdrawal, is only possible if there are talks between all Afghan groups and other regional stakeholders.
For this, a guarantee by the Taliban that it will give up terror is essential.
Going forward, Mr. Trump must reveal the contents of the so-called “in principle” agreement.
He should also set more meaningful terms of engagement involving the Afghan regime in any further talks with the Taliban.

Source: The Hindu