Biden admin supports talks aimed at finding political settlement to war in Afghanistan

Biden administration is having a hard look at extent to which Taliban are complying with conditions of peace agreement and supports negotiations between stakeholders to find a durable political settlement to long-standing conflict in Afghanistan, a top US official has said. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday Biden administration supports previous Trump administration’s decision of setting up negotiations between stakeholders in Afghanistan.

Trump administration signed peace deal with Taliban in February last year in Doha. accord drew up plans for withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees from insurgent group. As part of deal, US committed to withdraw its 12,000 troops within 14 months. re are currently only 2,500 American troops left in country. Taliban committed to prevent or groups, including al Qaeda, from using Afghan soil to recruit, train or fund raise toward activities that threaten US or its allies.

"In that context, we will make decisions about our force posture and our diplomatic strategy going forward,” Sullivan said.

"What previous administration did in terms of setting up and supporting negotiations between stakeholders in Afghanistan toward a just, durable political settlement to that conflict, that basic frame is something that we very much support,” he said at an event organised by US Institute of Peace, a Congress-funded think-tank.

"We want to support negotiations between Afghan government and Taliban and ors to get to that just and sustainable outcome in addition to looking at US-Taliban agreement and what it means for our forces going forward,” Sullivan said.

Although Taliban stopped attacks on international forces as part of historic deal, it continued to fight Afghan government. As a condition of starting talks with Afghan government, Taliban demanded that thousands of ir members be released in a prisoner swap. Direct talks between Afghan government and Taliban began in Doha in September last year, but a breakthrough is yet to be reached. Levels of violence in Afghanistan remain high with journalists, activists, politicians and women judges among those killed in targeted assassinations.