All foreign troops could exit Afghanistan in the next 14 months should the Taliban respect arrangements of an agreement signed in Doha, Qatar, on February 29.
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, US defense secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper and NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg all said Saturday that any withdrawal would be conditions-based, and the Taliban would have to negotiate with Afghan officials for the process to move forward.
Esper and Stoltenberg traveled to Kabul to meet with Afghan leaders and discuss the joint declaration.
Under the declaration, the Taliban have agreed to counterterrorism guarantees, Afghan-to-Afghan negotiations, a ceasefire and condition-based withdrawal of foreign forces.
“Today’s release of the joint declaration between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States marks a pivotal moment in the peace process,” Esper said during a ceremony at the Afghan palace. “Our declaration acknowledges the deep bond shared by Afghan and US forces, and reflects our commitment to working together to achieve a sustainable, negotiated agreement that ends the war, for the benefit of all Afghans. Central to this agreement are measures to prevent the use of Afghan soil by terrorist groups or other individuals who seek to harm the United States or our allies.”
Esper said the result of the weeklong ceasefire in the country were encouraging.
But the Taliban do not get a free pass. “We call on the Taliban to abide by their commitments as outlined in the agreement with the United States, to include maintaining the ongoing reduction in violence across the country,” Esper said. “As intra-Afghan negotiations progress, the United States will watch the Taliban’s actions closely to judge whether their efforts towards peace are in good faith.”
If the Taliban uphold the agreement, the United States and other members of the coalition said they would begin a conditions-based reduction in forces. “However, should the Taliban fail to honor their commitments, they will forfeit their chance to sit with fellow Afghans and deliberate on the future of their country,” Esper added. “Moreover, the United States would not hesitate to nullify the agreement.”
Stoltenberg said all NATO nations and partners in the coalition welcome the declaration, calling it a victory for peace and the Afghan people.
He noted that Afghanistan is a very different country from what it was in 2001. “It is no longer a safe haven for international terrorists, terrorists who conducted the attacks against the United States and threatened people across the globe,” the secretary general said.
While the agreement is between the United States and the Taliban and the Afghan government, NATO will conform with it, Stoltenberg said.
“NATO will reduce its presence in Afghanistan step-by-step and conditions-based and reflecting the progress we see on the ground,” he said. “NATO allies and partners went into Afghanistan together. We will adjust our presence together. When the time is right, we will leave together. This will only happen when we are sure that the Afghan forces no longer require our support, and that Afghanistan will never again become a platform for international terrorists.”
