Afghan Taliban leader says committed to deal with the US
In Eid message Haibatullah Akhunzada asks US 'not to waste' the opportunity offered by the deal to end 19-year-old war.May 20, 2020, Aljazeera
The leader of the Taliban said on Wednesday that his group was committed to a landmark deal with the US, despite being accused of carrying out hundreds of attacks in Afghanistan since it was signed in February.
Haibatullah Akhunzada urged Washington "not to waste" the opportunity offered by the deal to end the US's longest war in a message released ahead of next week's Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
U.S.-Taliban Agreement Signed Amid Fluctuating Violence
Haibatullah Akhunzada urged Washington "not to waste" the opportunity offered by the deal to end the US's longest war in a message released ahead of next week's Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
For details, click here
Operation Freedom Sentinel
DOD Lead Inspector General quarterly report
January 1, 2020, through March 31, 2020
U.S.-Taliban Agreement Signed Amid Fluctuating Violence
On February 29, U.S. and Taliban representatives signed an agreement in which the Taliban agreed to prevent terrorists from using Afghanistan to threaten the United States or its allies.1 The same day, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a U.S.-Afghanistan joint declaration echoing the agreement between the United States and the Taliban.2 According to the agreement and the joint declaration, the United States agreed to first reduce its forces from roughly 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days, and then fully withdraw all remaining forces within the following 9 and a half months, conditioned on the Taliban adhering to the agreement.3 Violence in Afghanistan at the beginning of the quarter was high, in part because U.S. forces exerted “military pressure” on the Taliban “to create the conditions for a political settlement,” according to U.S. Forces–Afghanistan (USFOR-A).4 According to media reports, the Taliban similarly increased its activity to strengthen its negotiating position.5 The United States and Taliban agreed to a 1-week reduction in violence as a precondition of the signing of the agreement.6 According to senior U.S. officials, the Taliban significantly decreased its attacks during the negotiated week of reduced violence that preceded the signing of the agreement.7 However, both during the reduction in violence and after the signing of the agreement, the Taliban continued attacks against Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).8
In the
final 2 weeks of the quarter alone, the Taliban launched more than 300 attacks, with major
assaults in several provinces, with the insurgents seizing territory and inflicting heavy
ANDSF casualties, according to media sources.9
USFOR-A told the DoD OIG that U.S.
military operations remained focused on defending the ANDSF throughout the quarter.10
Insider attacks by ANDSF personnel—or Taliban infiltrators—targeting the ANDSF
continued this quarter, following the growing trend since 2008.11 USFOR-A reported that
there were 17 insider attacks that targeted the ANDSF, killing 48 ANDSF members and
wounding 6.12 USFOR-A reported that there was one insider attack this quarter that resulted
in the death of U.S. service members. On February 8, a gunman wearing an ANDSF
uniform opened fire, killing two U.S. personnel and one Afghan in Nangarhar province.1
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Taliban Sources Repository
This repository has transformed a large private collection of Taliban documents into an enduring and usable intellectual resource for scholars of Afghanistan, Taliban, and Asian history.
University of Oslo, May 2020
This repository has transformed a large private collection of Taliban documents into an enduring and usable intellectual resource for scholars of Afghanistan, Taliban, and Asian history.
For details, click here
