The US administration of President Joe Biden intends to review a deal between Washington and the Taliban made last February, according to Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday.
Sullivan spoke with his Afghan counterpart Hamdullah Mohib on the telephone where the two officials discussed the US-Afghan partnership and peace in the Asian country, said a statement by National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne.
The US will back the peace process to help the Afghans and the Taliban "achieve a durable and just political settlement and permanent ceasefire," Sullivan said during the conversation.
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The White House said on Friday that the United States would review its agreement with the Afghan Taliban, which was signed in last February.
ReplyDeleteNational Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told this plan in his phone conversation with his Afghan counterpart Hamdullah Mohib earlier in the day, according to a White House statement.
Sullivan said that the United States would assess "whether the Taliban was living up to its commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders."
"Mr. Sullivan committed to consulting closely with the Government of Afghanistan, NATO allies, and regional partners regarding a collective strategy to support a stable, sovereign, and secure future for Afghanistan," the statement added.
The United States and Taliban signed an agreement in late February 2020, which called for a full withdrawal of the U.S. military forces from Afghanistan by May 2021 if the Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with terrorist groups.
President Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday in his confirmation hearing that terrorist group al-Qaeda still maintained a relationship with the Taliban.
The war in Afghanistan, which has caused about 2,400 U.S. military deaths, is the longest one in U.S. history. The former President Donald Trump accelerated the pullout from the country in the final months of his presidency, though some of his senior aides had suggested a more cautious approach. The Pentagon confirmed last week that U.S. troops in Afghanistan had reduced to 2,500 level.