Senior U.S. officials met with the Taliban in Qatar Monday to discuss possible violations of a deal the two sides signed February 29, among other issues, according to a Taliban spokesman. FILE – Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen is seen during talks in the Qatari capital Doha, July 7, 2019.“They talked about complete implementation of the Agreement as well as delay in the release of the prisoners. Violations of the Agreement and other issues and ways of their solutions were also discussed,” tweeted Suhail Shaheen, spokesman of the Taliban political team in Doha. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Austin Miller, accompanied Zalmay Khalilzad, the architect of the U.S.-Taliban deal, to the meeting hosted by Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdur Rahman al-Thani. The Taliban delegation was led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of its political office. The militant group has repeatedly asserted that the Americans have violated their end of the agreement by attacking either civilians or Taliban forces not involved in fighting. U.S. officials deny this. In a recent message, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that “American invaders and their local puppets” dropped bombs killing civilians and destroying their homes in Badakhshan province. Earlier, in an interview with VOA, Shaheen claimed U.S. forces attacked Taliban forces in violation of the agreement. “They attacked our guards while there was no fighting. They attacked residential houses of our military people at night when they were resting or carried out night raids,” Shaheen said. FILE – Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. envoy for peace in Afghanistan, shake hands after signing an agreement at a ceremony in Doha, Qatar, Feb. 29, 2020.The February agreement allows the two sides to defend themselves when attacked but forbids initiating attacks on each other. Earlier this month, Colonel Sonny Leggett, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Tweeted a denial of such allegations. “USFOR-A has upheld, and continues to uphold, the military terms of the U.S.-TB agreement; any assertion otherwise is baseless. USFOR-A has been clear — we will defend our ANDSF partners if attacked, in compliance with the agreement.” USFOR-A has upheld, and continues to uphold, the military terms of the U.S.-TB agreement; any assertion otherwise is baseless. USFOR-A has been clear- we will defend our ANDSF partners if attacked, in compliance with the agreement.— USFOR-A Spokesman Col Sonny Leggett (@USFOR_A) FILE – Taliban released pictures of the 20 freed men they identified as Afghan forces, April 12, 2020. (Courtesy Taliban)Welcoming the release of prisoners from both sides, U.S. envoy Khalilzad urged them to “accelerate efforts to meet targets specified in the U.S.- Taliban agreement as soon as possible.”
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