U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has departed for Qatar for the opening ceremony of Afghan peace talks on Saturday.
On the plane to Qatar, Mr. Pompeo said the Taliban and the Afghan government will begin talks on Saturday for the first time on reconciliation after years of strife.
He said, “We anticipate that Saturday morning will be the first time in nearly 20 years that Afghans who are ready will sit down and begin this inevitably contentious discussion about what’s next to reduce the violence in this country and to meet the demands of the Afghan people, which is a reconciled government, a government that embodies a country that is no longer at war. “
A statement on the State Department’s official website says the negotiations are the result of intensive diplomatic efforts. The results include the U.S.-Taliban Agreement and the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Statement. The signatories reached agreement on the two documents in February of this year.
The agreement provided for the Taliban to begin peace talks with the Afghan government in March of this year, but disagreements over violent attacks and prisoner exchanges have led to numerous delays in the negotiations.
The day before Pompeo’s trip falls on the 19th anniversary of 9/11. Following the terrorist attacks, the United States led a U.N.-backed international force into Afghanistan to overthrow Osama bin Laden and the Taliban al-Qaeda regime that had harbored the perpetrators of the attacks. In a statement, Pompeo expressed gratitude for the help from global partners in counterterrorism activities.
The statement reads, “The men and women of the State Department are honored to work with partners from around the world in this effort. In the pursuit of peace, security, and justice, our steadfast resolve to hold terrorists accountable for their actions will not waver.”
Pompeo told the media that the 19-year war in Afghanistan has seen tremendous sacrifices made not only by the United States but also by a variety of international forces. The U.S. wants all sides to have the opportunity to reduce risks and the number of troops.
General McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said recently that the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan will drop from 8,600 to about 4,500 in early November. He told VOA in July that an intra-Afghan dialogue needs to be opened and the U.S. needs to be confident that the Taliban will not allow the Islamic State and al-Qaeda to operate in Afghanistan before significantly reducing the number of U.S. troops in the country.
On the issue of troop withdrawal, Pompeo cited President Trump’s statement Friday that he would not rule out sending troops into Afghanistan again if U.S. security was threatened.
The U.S. has spent $750 billion on the war in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, costing tens of thousands of lives on all sides. A recent Washington Post investigative report shows that with the increase in U.S. airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2018, many civilian casualties in areas outside of government control are difficult to investigate and account for in depth.
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