KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban no longer consider the 2020 Doha Agreement as guiding their governance, saying it was meant only for a transitional phase, the Taliban’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Friday in a televised statement.
Speaking on state-run television, Mujahid accused the United States of failing to uphold parts of the agreement, which was signed in February 2020 by Abdul Ghani Baradar, a senior Taliban leader, and Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan’s peace. The deal facilitated the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and outlined steps toward a political transition.
Among its provisions were intra-Afghan negotiations and the formation of a new government that would include the Taliban, members of the former Afghan administration, and other political factions. However, since seizing full control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have excluded opposition groups from power.
The agreement also prohibited attacks on U.S. forces and barred terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda, from using Afghan territory to threaten the United States and its allies. While the Taliban have denied Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan, United Nations reports have indicated otherwise.
Taliban have come under sustained international criticism for widespread human rights violations, particularly their restrictions on women and girls. The United Nations and Western governments have repeatedly urged the group to reverse these policies, but the Taliban have largely ignored such appeals.
Meanwhile, President Trump has repeatedly called on the Taliban to return American military equipment left behind after the U.S. withdrawal, though he did not reference the Doha Agreement in his remarks.
