Below section one, the US mentioned it will scale back troops to eight,600 inside 135 days (Representational)
Kabul:
The USA mentioned its landmark take care of the Taliban has entered the “subsequent section” whereas urging the militants to scale back rising violence even because the insurgents accused US forces of violating the accord Tuesday.
The 2 sides signed an settlement in February that noticed Washington pledge to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the center of subsequent 12 months, in return for the insurgents promising to carry negotiations with the Afghan authorities to finish the long-running battle.
Below section one, the US mentioned it will scale back troops to eight,600 inside 135 days, whereas utterly eradicating forces from 5 army bases.
On the 135th day, US particular consultant on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated the deal for Washington, tweeted that each side had reached a “key milestone”.
“The US has labored onerous to hold out 1st section of its commitments beneath the settlement, together with to scale back troops & depart 5 bases,” he mentioned Monday.
Because the deal entered its “subsequent section”, Washington’s method could be primarily based on sure situations, Khalilzad warned.
“We’ll press for completion of prisoner releases, discount of violence… & begin of & progress in intra-Afghan negotiations,” he mentioned.
The Taliban on Tuesday welcomed the minimize in US forces, however claimed that American troops had ceaselessly carried out bombings in non-combat zones and “offensives” in help of the Kabul authorities.
It additionally accused US pilots of finishing up air strikes in opposition to civilians, the Taliban and public infrastructure previously 10 days.
“These all are blatant violations of the settlement and deliberate try at frightening the mujahideen in direction of large-scale assaults,” the Taliban mentioned.
“Violence has been excessive”
Because the deal, the Taliban have stepped up assaults killing tons of, officers say.
Khalilzad condemned the assaults, saying “massive numbers” of Afghans continued to die and not using a purpose, whereas acknowledging that no American had been killed because the deal.
“Violence has been excessive, particularly in latest days and weeks,” Khalilzad mentioned, condemning a Taliban assault on Monday on a rural workplace of Afghanistan’s intelligence company that killed 11 safety personnel.
“The Taliban’s assault… contradicts their dedication to scale back violence till a everlasting ceasefire is reached in intra-Afghan talks.”
Washington’s high diplomat in Kabul, Ross Wilson, additionally slammed the Taliban for Monday’s assault within the northern metropolis of Aybak.
“This assault in a provincial capital is an escalation that violates the understanding in our settlement with the Taliban to scale back violence and decrease civilian casualties,” he wrote on Twitter.
Afghanistan’s intelligence company warned of “retaliatory assaults” in opposition to the Taliban and mentioned they weren’t fulfilling their obligations beneath the US deal.
“The group plans and carries out assaults with the cooperation of international terrorist teams, together with the Al-Qaeda community,” the Nationwide Directorate of Safety mentioned on Tuesday.
Below the US-Taliban deal, the insurgents agreed to cease Al-Qaeda from utilizing Afghanistan as a protected haven to plot assaults.
However within the months since, the Taliban have continued to work with Al-Qaeda within the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a Pentagon report mentioned earlier this month.
“Civilian casualties”
US President Donald Trump, who’s working for re-election in November, has mentioned repeatedly that he desires to finish America’s longest battle as quickly as potential.
Peace talks between the Taliban and Kabul hinge on a nearly-completed prisoner change agreed within the take care of US.
The federal government has up to now launched greater than four,000 Taliban inmates, whereas the insurgents have freed greater than 600 Afghan safety personnel.
Afghanistan’s Unbiased Human Rights Fee, in the meantime, mentioned in a report on Tuesday that within the first six months of this 12 months, 1,213 civilians had been killed and one other 1,744 wounded in 880 incidents throughout the nation.
It mentioned the figures confirmed a drop of 11 p.c as in comparison with the primary half of 2019.
The Taliban accounted for 48.5 p.c of civilian casualties, whereas 15.5 p.c had been attributed to authorities forces.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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