Afghan president objects to Taliban prisoner release in U.S., Taliban peace deal
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said his government has not signed off on a United States peace agreement pledge to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners by March 10.
The U.S. and the Taliban reached a deal Saturday that is poised to end the sides' 18-year conflict in Afghanistan. The main conditions of the agreement are a phased U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban denying extremist groups from using Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks on the U.S. and its allies. It also stipulated the U.S. will work to "expeditiously release" the Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government in the hopes of igniting peace talks between the government and the Taliban by the March deadline.
But Ghani said that shouldn't be a prerequisite for intra-Afghan discussions, and instead should be part of the negotiations. The government, he said, has made no such commitment. "It is not in the authority of the United States to decide, they are only a facilitator," he said, adding that "it's the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The deal, while heralded by the Trump administration, is anything but settled, and it already has a number of critics. This particular hold up, BBC reports, looks like it stems from the U.S. using different language in its communications with Kabul and the Taliban. The deal itself says the U.S. will help get the prisoners released before the intra-Afghan talks, but a joint U.S.-Afghan declaration only said Washington will play a role in helping the other two sides assess the "feasibility" of a release. Read more at BBC and Al Jazeera.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published