The US State Department spokesperson, Mathew Miller, criticized the Taliban for failing to meet their commitments under the Doha agreement, highlighting that despite taking certain actions against terrorist groups in Afghanistan, they harbored Al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri in downtown Kabul, in direct violation of the accord.
Miller characterized the Doha agreement as a pact that “empowered the Taliban” while undermining the US’s partnership with the Afghan government, noting it led to the US withdrawing troops without a clear subsequent plan.
Signed on Feb. 19, 2020, by the Trump administration’s envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban’s then-head of political office, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the agreement has faced criticism for its outcomes. Miller specifically pointed to the Taliban’s reluctance to engage in dialogue with other Afghan factions to establish an inclusive political system as a breach of the agreement’s terms.
“We will continue to make clear to them what we believe their obligations are,” Miller stated, reaffirming the US’s stance on the matter.
On the topic of US troop presence in Afghanistan, Miller conveyed that President Joe Biden was opposed to the notion of maintaining US forces in the nation.
