AFP
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Sunday that ties
between Kabul and Washington are expected to deepen in areas of
counter-terrorism and building peace as he congratulated Joe Biden
on his election victory.
“Afghanistan looks forward to continuing/deepening our
multilayered strategic partnership w/ the United States — our
foundational partner — including in counterterrorism & bringing
peace to Afghanistan,” Ghani wrote on Twitter.
Biden’s victory was also welcomed by ordinary citizens, who
thought he might slow what some see as a too-hasty withdrawal of US
troops.
US President Donald Trump’s administration signed a deal with
the Taliban on February 29 that agreed to withdraw all American
forces from Afghanistan by May 2021.
“Biden will also finish the war, but he wants to bring the war
to a responsible end, not rushing like Trump,” said Mohammad
Dawood, a garment seller in Kabul.
“He will slow down the withdrawal from Afghanistan and will keep
some troops here, which is good news.”
The withdrawal of troops has been a cornerstone of Trump’s plans
to end America’s longest war.
His administration agreed to fully disengage in exchange for a
commitment from the Taliban to stop trans-national jihadist groups
such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State from operating in
Afghanistan.
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The US military has already shut several bases across the
country and pulled out thousands of troops as agreed.
Timor Sharan, a lecturer at the American University in
Afghanistan, said on Twitter that the incoming Biden administration
will have a “more tolerant” approach to peace talks, as
Washington’s deal with the Taliban was “terrible” and gave no
leverage to the government.
That excluded the Afghan government from negotiations, however,
and also saw almost 6,000 Taliban prisoners released — much to the
displeasure of authorities.
Days after the release of prisoners, peace talks between the
Taliban and Afghan government to end the war were launched in the
Qatari capital.
The talks, which commenced on September 12, have failed to make
any significant progress so far.
Violence, however, has surged across the country, including in
Kabul, with the Taliban stepping up daily attacks against Afghan
security forces.
Scores of people were killed in two attacks in the capital
targeting educational institutions within days of each other.
Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group, but
officials have blamed the Taliban.
“Joe Biden’s election as president is good news for
Afghanistan,” said Ahmad Jawed, a university student in Kabul.
“I think he will not repeat mistakes committed by Trump. I think
Biden will even reconsider the US-Taliban deal and then somehow
keep some troops in Afghanistan.”
AFP
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