Taliban Warns of Escalation If US Ends Afghan Peace Process

 

Taliban attacks kill 21 troops

Jason Ditz 

Posted onFebruary 5, 2021CategoriesNewsTagsAfghanistan

Taliban attacks across Afghanistan were reported to have killed 21 troops. This included 16 in Kunduz and five others in Faryab. Both provinces are in the far north, and while Kunduz is a major site of fighting it is unusual for violence to be confined there.

Taliban officials also issued a statement warning the US against scrapping the Afghan peace process, saying that they would see a “dangerous escalate” of the war if the February 29 deal is not honored.

All indications in recent weeks are that the Biden Administration intends to dishonor the Trump-era peace deal. They’ve been arguing that the Taliban aren’t in full compliance with the deal, and subsequently the only thing the Taliban wants, a US pullout, is almost certainly being scrapped.

Some reports are trying to link the Taliban warning with the 21 killed, but it’s not clear that’s the case. 21 killed in not an unusual toll in Afghanistan these days, and the Taliban has been urging the peace process to advance for awhile as well. These could just happen to be the same day.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/02/05/taliban-warns-of-escalation-if-us-ends-afghan-peace-process/