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Afghans welcome Trump's cancellation of Taliban talks
Source: Washington Post
Afghans welcome Trump’s cancellation of Taliban talks
By Pamela Constable
September 8 at 11:13 AM
KABUL — Afghan officials, analysts and citizens on Sunday cautiously welcomed President Trump’s announcement that he was canceling planned secret meetings with Afghan and Taliban leaders at Camp David, calling off the troubled U.S.-Taliban peace talks aimed at ending the 18-year conflict.
After weeks of mounting uncertainty and suspicion here, with insurgent violence raging across the country even as a bilateral deal neared, Trump’s stunning tweet late Saturday seemed to burst the pent-up tension across Afghan society and offer a moment of relief — even as it created new fears over what would come next
The Taliban, for its part, waited all day to issue a coolly worded statement saying it had been ready to sign a peace agreement with the United States, but Trump’s impatience had sabotaged the process and the insurgents would now continue their “jihad” against foreign “occupation.”
The days before Trump’s bombshell were filled with conflicting signals from Taliban and U.S. leaders. While U.S. negotiators said a deal was imminent, Taliban attacks intensified. An array of U.S. politicians, military figures and diplomats warned that a hasty deal and troop pullout could lead to chaos and even civil war.
“There is definitely a silver lining to this,” said Haroun Mir, an analyst based in Kabul. “There was total confusion before. Everyone was afraid the U.S. would sign a cease-fire but the Taliban would continue their war against the Afghan government and people. Now President Trump has personally rectified this with his own tweet.”
-snip-
By Pamela Constable
September 8 at 11:13 AM
KABUL — Afghan officials, analysts and citizens on Sunday cautiously welcomed President Trump’s announcement that he was canceling planned secret meetings with Afghan and Taliban leaders at Camp David, calling off the troubled U.S.-Taliban peace talks aimed at ending the 18-year conflict.
After weeks of mounting uncertainty and suspicion here, with insurgent violence raging across the country even as a bilateral deal neared, Trump’s stunning tweet late Saturday seemed to burst the pent-up tension across Afghan society and offer a moment of relief — even as it created new fears over what would come next
The Taliban, for its part, waited all day to issue a coolly worded statement saying it had been ready to sign a peace agreement with the United States, but Trump’s impatience had sabotaged the process and the insurgents would now continue their “jihad” against foreign “occupation.”
The days before Trump’s bombshell were filled with conflicting signals from Taliban and U.S. leaders. While U.S. negotiators said a deal was imminent, Taliban attacks intensified. An array of U.S. politicians, military figures and diplomats warned that a hasty deal and troop pullout could lead to chaos and even civil war.
“There is definitely a silver lining to this,” said Haroun Mir, an analyst based in Kabul. “There was total confusion before. Everyone was afraid the U.S. would sign a cease-fire but the Taliban would continue their war against the Afghan government and people. Now President Trump has personally rectified this with his own tweet.”
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghans-welcome-trumps-cancellation-of-taliban-talks/2019/09/08/65c70910-d20b-11e9-8c1c-7c8ee785b855_story.html
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