Afghanistan Times
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So many different scenarios have been displayed by different sides since the United States decided to hold direct talks with Taliban militants once the number one enemies to one another. The people and politicians in Afghanistan were told a great deal of lies since the US veteran diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad sat with Taliban representatives in 2018 to reach a political settlement. There were reports that war would end just one day after Taliban reach a peace agreement with the United States that the insurgents called invaders. The result was against Afghans’ expectations since the Taliban leadership ordered fighters not to attack foreign soldiers but killing of civilians, soldiers and police has since increased.
The same scenario continued with different versions when the government agreed to free 5,000 prisoners held in custody under pressures from Kalilzad who promised the prisoner release would facilitate peace efforts. Almost all the released militants retook arms to fight against government forces and the violence and bloodshed escalated.
Now with the intra-Afghan talks stalled according to Afghan negotiators, the insurgents and foreign states headed by the United States are busy in a new war this time verbal fighting in which the two sides are accusing each other of violating the Qatar peace agreement.
Joe Biden, who came to White House last week as successor of the controversial president Donald Trump, immediately announced he would take a look at the agreement and his aides said that Taliban did not do enough to show they stick to the deal. The announcement that was followed by a statement from the NATO, who said they would stay in Afghanistan beyond May, provided a good pretext who seemed to be waiting for such event to break promises and announce war again.
This is obvious that neither the foreigners nor the Taliban who pretend to be the sons of this soil, suffers from this war, and only the people of this country pay the price. The verbal war is certainly not a decision made independently by Taliban leaders. Their representatives are busy in tours to regional countries who are all against the US presence here. From the other hand, the US also seems to play a mental game with its rivals in the neighboring of Afghanistan to assay public opinions. The Ghani administration is also hindering on the road to peace by rejecting an interim government which is also part of the game. This game has only one loser, the suffering people of Afghanistan.
