US Envoy To NATO Accuses Taliban Of Failing To Abide By Withdrawal Agreement

The United States believes the Taliban is violating promises made in the withdrawal agreement it reached with Washington and wants to see an immediate halt to the violence, US Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2020) The United States believes the Taliban is violating promises made in the withdrawal agreement it reached with Washington and wants to see an immediate halt to the violence, US Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said on Monday.

"We do not think the Taliban is keeping its word under the agreement," the envoy said. "The violence is too high and the Afghan people and the Afghan soldiers have paid a heavy price. So, we are really encouraging and asking the Taliban - if they are serious about wanting to have a peaceful Afghanistan- that they will keep their word and stop the violence, [and] have a ceasefire."

The United States plans to have troop levels down to 2,500 by mid-January as a result of the deal it reached with the Taliban in February. The US began the year with about 10,000 troops stationed inside the country.

The US, she added, said the only hope the country has to ending the violence is to engage in negotiations.

Earlier, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rejected as "unwarranted and baseless" claims in a New York Times article about him putting the brakes on the intra-Afghan peace process.

The intra-Afghan talks began in September after the Taliban reached a peace agreement with the United States in February. The United States agreed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan within 14 months, as one of the terms of the deal, provided the Taliban stop using Afghan territory for attacks on the United States, its interests and allies.

After reaching the agreement with the Taliban, the US reduced troop levels from 10,000 to 8,600 by July, before drawing down to 5,000 by November in a second phase.

Hutchinson spoke ahead of the meeting of NATO ministers of foreign affairs planned for December 1-2.