US, Taliban accord to be signed soon, says Sirajuddin Haqqani

NEW YORK: The Taliban’s deputy leader has said that despite mutual distrust, the group will soon sign a agreement with the United States to reduce violence for seven days, while reaffirming that they are “fully committed” to observing the accord.

“The long war has exacted a terrible cost from everyone.… Everyone is tired of war,” Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network in Afghanistan, wrote in a significant opinion piece in the The New York Times.

“That we today stand at the threshold of a peace agreement with the United States is no small milestone,” Haqqani wrote.

Also read: US-Taliban on brink of breakthrough as Ghani reports progress

The agreement in principle, which was reached during negotiations between US and Taliban representatives in Qatar, could lead to a withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

“Achieving the potential of the agreement, ensuring its success and earning lasting peace will depend on an equally scrupulous observance by the United States of each of its commitments,” wrote Haqqani.

“Only then can we have complete trust and lay the foundation for cooperation — or even a partnership — in the future,” Haqqani said.

Also read: US, Taliban reach agreement for seven-day reduction in violence

“My fellow Afghans will soon celebrate this historic agreement. Once it is entirely fulfilled, Afghans will see the departure of all foreign troops,” Haqqani added.

Haqqani also addressed fears about Afghanistan becoming once again a base for militancy, calling such concerns “inflated.”

Writing about how women’s rights in Afghanistan would look if foreign forces left, Haqqani envisioned an Islamic system in which “the rights of women that are granted by Islam — from the right to education to the right to work — are protected.”

Also read: Taliban accuse US of delaying Afghanistan peace talks

Haqqani stressed in the piece the need for a complete withdrawal of foreign forces. Officials in Afghanistan and the United States have said a certain number of troops would remain in the country to ensure stability.

The newspaper article comes after US and Taliban officials recently agreed to a seven-day period of reduced violence in Afghanistan. If the temporary truce is successful, the two adversaries could sign the long-awaited peace agreement later this month.

Speaking on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that he saw “a chance” of a peace deal with the Taliban, which would lead to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and end America’s longest war.