Taliban failed to honour Doha accord, renounce Qaida: US General

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Washington: The Taliban have failed to honour the 2020 Doha Agreement, a top American military general told lawmakers on Tuesday, asserting the outfit had not renounced the Al-Qaida.

“Under the Doha Agreement, the United States would begin to withdraw its forces contingent upon the Taliban meeting certain conditions, which would lead to a political agreement between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan,” General Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. There were seven conditions applicable to the Taliban and eight conditions applicable to the US under the agreement, he said.

“While the Taliban did not attack US forces, which was one of the conditions, they failed to fully honour any other condition under the Doha Agreement. And, perhaps most importantly for US national security, the Taliban have never renounced Al-Qaida or broke its affiliation with them,” he said. The US, on the other hand, adhered to every condition, the official noted. Milley said it was clear the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms the US wanted, with the Taliban now in power in Kabul. “The Taliban are a terrorist organisation, and they still have not broken ties with Al-Qaida. I have no illusions who we are dealing with. It remains to be seen whether or not the Taliban can consolidate power or if the country will further fracture into civil war,” he asserted.

Rep Senators introduce sanctions on Taliban

Washington: Twenty-two Republican senators have introduced a legislation in the Senate to impose sanctions on the Taliban and on all foreign governments supporting the hardline Islamic group. The ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight and Accountability Act’ has also sought a “deeper investigation” into the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan.

Stop flying drones over Afghanistan: Taliban to US

The Taliban on Wednesday warned of consequences if the US did not stop flying drones over Afghan airspace. “The US has violated all international rights and laws as well as its commitments made to the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, with the operation of these drones in Afghanistan,” the Taliban said in a statement on Twitter. US officials were not immediately available to comment.