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The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan may be traced back to an agreement between the group and the Trump administration, according to top US defence officials.
In February 2020, the US signed the so-called Doha accord, which set a deadline for the US to withdraw its forces.
The agreement, according to General Frank McKenzie, had a “very corrosive effect” on the Afghan government and military.
According to Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, the pact has helped the Taliban become “stronger.”
The Doha deal contained wide duties on the Taliban to take efforts to prevent groups like al-Qaeda from harming the security of the US and its allies, in addition to a withdrawal timetable.
Following his victory, US President Joe Biden continued the pullout plan, albeit with an end date of August 31, rather than May.
The comments were made by US defence officials in testimony to the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.
The hearing comes weeks after a tumultuous departure from Kabul Airport, which saw foreign nations scramble to transport their citizens home while thousands of Afghans screamed for help. During the operation, 182 persons were killed by a suicide bomber.
General McKenzie supervised the US Central Command’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, which ended a 20-year involvement in the country and America’s longest conflict.
The Doha deal, according to Gen McKenzie, had a significant psychological impact on the Afghan government since it set a date for “when they could anticipate all support to terminate.”
He said he had been convinced “for quite some time” that if the US decreased its military advisers in Afghanistan to less than 2,500, the Afghan government and military would certainly fall.
He said the troop reduction ordered by President Biden in April was “the other nail in the coffin” after the Doha deal.
Mr Austin claimed that by committing the US to cease air attacks against the Taliban, the Doha agreement strengthened the Islamist organisation, allowing them to “intensify their offensive operations against Afghan security forces, and the Afghans were losing a lot of people on a weekly basis.”
On Tuesday, the defence officials testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where they said they had suggested keeping a presence of 2,500 troops in Afghanistan ahead of the full US pullout in August.
In addition, Gen. Milley stated that the Taliban’s control would make it more difficult to defend Americans from terrorist assaults, describing the group as a terrorist organisation that “still has not broken relations with al-Qaeda.”
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Wednesday that the insurgents have “provided guarantees to the world that there will be no danger against any country, including the United States, from Afghan soil.”
“We are dedicated to the deal between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the United States that was reached in Doha. We also urge the United States and its allies to commit to the accord. It would be preferable for them to take the path of diplomacy and cooperation rather than making unpleasant remarks “he stated
