U.S. Seeks Peace Agreement, Not Withdrawal Agreement: Khalilzad

The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad says that the United States is seeking “a comprehensive peace agreement, not a withdrawal agreement” in the peace talks with the Taliban.

“As we prepare for the next round of talks with the Taliban, important to remember we seek a comprehensive peace agreement, not a withdrawal agreement,” Khalilzad says in a tweet.

Khalilzad apparently responded to a spokesperson of the Taliban’s office in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen’s remarks on Tuesday, who said that the U.S. has “agreed” to withdraw all of its forces from Afghanistan.

The U.S. Envoy said that a comprehensive peace agreement is made up of four interconnected parts: counter-terrorism assurances, troop withdrawal, intra-Afghan negotiations that lead to a political settlement, and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire

“This is a framework which the Taliban accept,” Khalilzad reiterated that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”

Meanwhile, COL Dave Butler, the spokesman for the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan said that the Taliban’s statements “are not true.”