On Sunday, Former Afghan Mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyarlink slammed the US for whathe called an attempt to quit the Doha peace deal with the Taliban.
Addressing a gathering at his party headquarters in the capital Kabul tomark the 32nd anniversary of Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, he warnedUS President Joe Biden against backtracking from a February 2020 agreementsigned by his predecessor Donald Trump.
“Biden can neither gain from continuation of war in Afghanistan, nor can hecompel the Taliban by violating the peace deal,” Hekmatyar, the head of theHezb-e-Islami party, said. He led mujahideen fighters in the war againstSoviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. He also served as primeminister in the 1990s.
The former US president had sharply reduced the number of US troops inAfghanistan, but the new administration says it plans to review the dealciting increase in violence. The agreement calls for all internationaltroops to pull out in exchange of security guarantees by the Taliban.
Government officials, journalists, as well as civil society activistscontinue to be targeted in Afghanistan. Most attacks remain unclaimed butthe government blames the Taliban.
Intra-Afghan negotiations to devise a roadmap for post-war Afghanistan alsoremain stalled.
The veteran leader, who signed a peace deal with President Ashraf Ghani in2016, said the government has not fulfilled its promises such as release ofparty affiliates and incorporating them into the government.
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He warned of surrounding the presidential palace if his demands are notmet, adding that some elements in the government are hell bent onsabotaging the US-Taliban peace deal.
Meanwhile, the insurgents have warned NATO against extending their stay inAfghanistan.
“Our message to the upcoming NATO ministerial meeting is that thecontinuation of occupation and war is in no one’s interest,” the groupannounced in a statement on Saturday.
On Feb. 4, the NATO secretary-general said that the alliance’s presence inAfghanistan is a decision that should be made with consensus.
