Taliban's reduction in violence touted by Trump officials didn’t actually happen, inspector general report finds

The Taliban continued violent operations "at high levels" in Afghanistan during the lead up to and after the signing of a peace agreement with the United States earlier this year in the hopes of ending an 18-year conflict, the Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom's quarterly report said.

In the days preceding the agreement, which was signed in February in Doha, Qatar, the two sides negotiated a week-long reduction in violence, but the latest report found that didn't happen. Instead, the Taliban reportedly limited violence against the U.S. and coalition forces, but increased attacks against the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces during the time period. Trump administration officials had praised the reduction period before Doha.

Then, after the agreement was signed, the Taliban reportedly escalated violence even further while the U.S. began to reduce its forces in Afghanistan, despite their exit being conditioned upon a fall in violence.

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Since the agreement, there has been quite a bit of skepticism from the U.S. side about whether the Taliban would hold up its end of the deal, and there are efforts underway to determine whether that's the case.