Taliban: No Peace Deal If US Troops Stay in Afghanistan

by | Feb 20, 2020

Taliban: No Peace Deal If US Troops Stay in Afghanistan

by | Feb 20, 2020

Deputy leader says withdrawal is main thing the Taliban wants

With a potential US-Taliban peace deal in Afghanistan potentially at hand, Taliban Deputy Leader Sirajuddin Haqqani wrote an op-ed in the New York Times clarifying exactly what the Taliban hopes to get out of the deal, what is expected and what is their red line.

For a war that’s dragged on for 19 years, Taliban demands are still straightforward and easy to understand. The main goal is, as ever, the removal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, and the deal was conditioned on the US withdrawing from the country.

Haqqani dismissed reports that the US would try to keep residual troops in Afghanistan under the deal, saying that there would be no peace deal that involved US troops staying in Afghanistan.

This has been well-established since long before the most recent peace talks began, and any reticence the US has shown toward a deal has necessarily raised questions about whether the US still wasn’t ready to commit to having no troops in Afghanistan.

President Trump has already planned cuts ahead of this year’s election, and that’s expected to happen whether a peace deal comes or not. Though a peace deal could also be something to campaign on, it remains to be seen if Trump will go that route, or continue to drag on the conflict.

Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is the News Editor for Antiwar.com, your best source for antiwar news, viewpoints and activities. He has 10 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times and the Detroit Free Press.

View all posts

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

libetarian institute longsleeve shirt

Support via Amazon Smile

Our Books

15 books

Recent Articles

Recent

First Syria, Next Iran?

First Syria, Next Iran?

After over fifty-three years of sitting on their throne in Damascus, the Assad family's regime has collapsed in Syria. Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow without a word, the rebels are in command of every major city and airport, and prisons have been opened. The...

read more
One Day, Ukrainians Might Hate America

One Day, Ukrainians Might Hate America

There was a time, just before and just after Russia's invasion, that Ukraine might have lost no territory except Crimea and few lives. But America said no. In December 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the United States and NATO with a proposal on...

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This