Afghans view US-Taliban deal with skepticism

Many Afghans view Saturday’s expected signing of a U.S.-Taliban peace deal with a heavy dose of well-earned skepticism. y’ve spent deces living in a country at war — some ir whole lives — and wonder if y can ever reach a state of peace.

deal is meant to set st for a U.S. troop withdrawal and to usher in talks among Afghans on both sides of conflict about ir country’s future. re’s been bitter squabbling among political leers, concern of a temporary truce being undermined, and challenge of uniting a fractured country remains daunting.

Arash, an Afghan policeman in capital of Kabul, was 7 years old when a U.S.-led military coalition ousted Taliban government in 2001. U.S. was retaliating for Taliban harboring Osama Bin Len while he masterminded Sept. 11 terror attacks.

“We’ve h escape from war,” said Arash, who only gave his first name because he h t received permission from his superiors to speak to reporters.

He said he and his colleagues want peace, but that political leers “are only thirsty for power, t for peace.” He said Taliban are fellow Afghans and that “we should have peace with m.”

Afghanistan’s ecomy has been wracked by 18 years of fighting, despite billions of dollars spent on nation building. Some 55% live in poverty, or less than $1 a day, up from 34% in 2012.

On a recent chilly Kabul morning, dozens of laborers waited to be picked up for a day’s work. Dressed in tattered paint-splattered clos, some carrying ir own paintbrushes, y squatted on sidewalk in heart of capital, where new high-rise buildings butt up against small dingy shops.

“Everyone is looking for work. re are thousands and thousands like us all over city,” said Qatrullah, who like many Afghans goes by just one name. He said he favors peace deal and hopes it will bring jobs, but that government corruption has been crippling. He said vast sums pumped into Afghanistan have “gone into pockets of our leers.”

Transparency International last year ranked Afghanistan 173rd of 180 countries it monitors, scoring it 16 out of 100.

President Donald Trump has been critical of Washington’s spending in Afghanistan.

“We’re really serving, t as a military force, as we are a police force,” Trump said earlier this week while on a visit to India. “y have to police ir own country.”

Under peace plan, 13,000 U.S. troops will initially draw down to 8,600, Trump said. Much of plan remains vague, except to say American troops will withdraw and that Taliban promise t to let extremists use country as a staging ground for attacking U.S. or its allies.

Taliban leers told Associated Press that if everything goes according to plan, all U.S. soldiers would be out of Afghanistan in 14 months. Washington has t confirmed such a timeline.

agreement also stipulates  release of 5,000 Taliban from Afghan-run jails, but it’s t clear if government will agree to that.

Taliban and representatives from Kabul, including government, are to sit toger within 10 to 15 days of Saturday’s signing. y’ll try to negotiate framework of a post-war Afghanistan. Issues on table include a more permanent cease-fire and rights of women and mirities.

Negotiators will try to figure out how to re-integrate tens of thousands of Taliban insurgents and thousands more militiamen loyal to warlords in Kabul, who have grown powerful and wealthy during 18 years.

Shepherding sides toward intra-Afghan negotiations has been one of biggest heaches for U.S. negotiators, according to Afghans familiar with process.

It’s been complicated by President Ashraf Ghani’s insistence to hold an election last September. He wanted to give himself a mandate heing into negotiations with Taliban.

But critics say a divisive election has only fragmented political landscape in Kabul. country’s election commission declared Ghani winner earlier this month, despite charges of irregularities from his opponents and from elections complaints commission

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday pleed for Kabul to come up with a “fully representative” team for talks with Taliban.

Hamid Gailani, an Afghan negotiator in preliminary talks, said that “ biggest challenge that I see is political turmoil (in Kabul), and that needs to be resolved.”

He called on fractious leership to think of greater good and t to miss a rare window of opportunity. “God forbid, if we lose this opportunity, n it is gone forever,” he said.

In 2001, many Taliban fighters returned to ir communities after ir government collapsed. But new ministration in Kabul sought revenge, often using U.S.-led coalition to exact it, demanding money from former Taliban or threatening to hand m to U.S. forces.

That drove thousands of fighters to once again take up arms and he back into mountains, according to former Taliban members and analysts explaining ir group’s resurgence.

Taliban w control or hold sway over half country, and are at ir most powerful since U.S. invasion.

Only one militant group ever signed a peace agreement with Ghani’s government. group’s leer, warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, said many of his fighters faced harassment, intimidation and even prison when y attempted to re-integrate.

“We hope this failed experience is t be repeated with Taliban,” Hekmatyar he said in an interview this week.

At an Afghan National Army post in capital, AP spoke with two soldiers, including one who served for 14 years. y welcomed a peace deal with Taliban. Neir wanted to give ir name as y gestured to ir torn uniforms and disintegrating army boots, fearing retribution from ir commanding officers if y spoke too freely.

One soldier said he hn’t received his salary, and or said he received only half a month’s salary.

“We’ll be happy to have Taliban serving with us, but if government isn’t paying us, how can y pay m?” he said.

“Maybe Taliban should think twice before wanting to join army.”