Taliban says US ‘bombarding civilians, houses’ in deal violation | Al Jazeera

The Taliban has accused the United States of violating a landmark deal signed between the two sides, after the Pentagon said the group had failed to meet its side of the agreement.

“The other side have violated the agreement, almost every day they are violating it,” Mohammad Naeem, a Taliban spokesman in Qatar, told AFP news agency on Friday.

“They are bombarding civilians, houses and villages, and we have informed them from time to time, these are not just violations of the agreement but violations of human rights.”

The US military has in recent months carried out air strikes against the Taliban fighters in defence of Afghan forces in some provinces.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid added on Twitter that the allegations against the group were “unfounded” and that it was “fully committed” to the agreement.

The Pentagon on Thursday said Taliban’s refusal to meet commitments to reduce violence in Afghanistan is raising questions about whether all US troops will be able to leave by May as required under the peace agreement signed in February 2020.

The agreement, signed in Doha last year, required the Taliban to halt attacks on US forces, sharply decrease the level of violence in the country, and advance peace talks with the government in Kabul.

In return, the US would steadily reduce its troop levels in the country, and remove all forces by May this year.

Former President Donald Trump ordered US troops level in Afghanistan cut to 2,500 just days before he left office earlier this month, presenting successor Joe Biden with difficult decisions about how to retain leverage against the Taliban in support of peace talks.

Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby said the US stands by its commitment for a full troops withdrawal, but the agreement also calls for the Taliban to cut ties with al-Qaeda and reduce violence.