Pompeo: Afghan Peace Process Going Forward Despite Setbacks
Gen. Milley: Taliban have fulfilled a series of conditions
Jason Ditz
It is still the first week since Saturday’s peace deal between the US and the Taliban was signed. Things aren’t going ideally, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that the US intends to move forward with the process.
The US narrative on the process has varied wildly over the past few days. After the Afghan government reneged on promised prisoner releases, The Taliban attacked Afghan targets. By Wednesday, the US had also attacked a Taliban target with an airstrike.
Gen. Mark Milley downplayed the violence, saying that the Taliban have fulfilled a series of conditions, they haven’t attacked any Afghan capitals, nor have they attacked any foreign troops, as pledged under the peace deal.
While Pentagon officials have largely said they don’t consider the attacks a big deal, while Pompeo has said Taliban attacks are unaccepted. At the same time, he says that everyone knows the prisoner exchange needs to happen.
The problem is that the Afghan government has argued that the prisoner exchange is up to them, not the US. The US promised the release to the Taliban, but only made a deal with the government to explore the idea.
The US narrative on the process has varied wildly over the past few days. After the Afghan government reneged on promised prisoner releases, The Taliban attacked Afghan targets. By Wednesday, the US had also attacked a Taliban target with an airstrike.
Gen. Mark Milley downplayed the violence, saying that the Taliban have fulfilled a series of conditions, they haven’t attacked any Afghan capitals, nor have they attacked any foreign troops, as pledged under the peace deal.
While Pentagon officials have largely said they don’t consider the attacks a big deal, while Pompeo has said Taliban attacks are unaccepted. At the same time, he says that everyone knows the prisoner exchange needs to happen.
The problem is that the Afghan government has argued that the prisoner exchange is up to them, not the US. The US promised the release to the Taliban, but only made a deal with the government to explore the idea.
posted by Satish Sharma at
11:49
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