The US & Afghan Taliban sign a peace treaty in Qatar on February 29, 2020. (Picture courtesy Voice of America).
Nineteen years after launching attacks on Afghanistan to initially eliminate Al-Qaeda and later the Taliban, the US realized the futility of war which Presidents George W. Bush and Barak Obama foolishly pursued to eliminate the Taliban and from time to time even claimed false victories. Afghanistan has proved to be a graveyard of Superpowers, starting with the British, the Soviet Union and now the United States.
Better late than never. The good thing about the agreement crafted between the US & Taliban is that it calls for an orderly withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and gradual take over by Afghans. So if the Taliban do not start infighting and the Afghan Government of Ashraf Ghani does not sabotage the deal as under this agreement they will virtually lose all power, then Afghanistan may finally see peace. Although the agreement is worded ridiculously as each clause starts with 'The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban', the US already seems to have accepted a Taliban Government in Afghanistan as Part Two, Clause 5 of the agreement asks the Taliban not to issue passports or visas to certain persons as per extract below:
'Part Two:
5. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban will not provide visas, passports, travel permits, or other legal
documents to those who pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies to enter
Afghanistan'.
The prospect that a thirty-one-year-old conflict may come to an end in Afghanistan which was started by the Soviet Union in 1989 and continued by warring Afghan factions and blown to a full-fledged war post 9/11 by the US, is itself a good thing. The people of Afghanistan have suffered enough at the hands of foreign invaders and at the hands of their own warlords. They deserve peace and prosperity. It is a shame that nearly one trillion dollars have been wasted on the war effort, whereas a fraction of that amount could have brought prosperity to Afghanistan. One hopes the nightmare is over for the resilient nation of Afghanistan and they can now start a march toward prosperity.
The credit must be given to President Trump for realizing the futility of it all and putting an end to this war. Similarly, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff, General Bajwa deserve credit for bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table time and again even when the accord was faltering.
