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The Afghan government has announced that it is suspending security negotiations with Washington because of the United States’ “inconsistent statement and action” over the Taliban peace process. The move yesterday came a day after the US said that it would engage in direct negotiations with the Taliban, who officially opened a political office in Doha, Qatar, a day earlier.
“The president suspended the BSA [Bilateral Security Agreement] talks with the US this morning,” Aimal Faizi, President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman, said.
“There is a contradiction between what the US government says and what it does regarding Afghanistan peace talks,” Faizi said.
The BSA is meant to provide a strategic framework for US troops to remain in the country after its troops formally exit Afghanistan by the end of 2014. It will finalise issues such as the number of troops to remain, where they will be based and under what terms they will operate.
Faizi said that Karzai particularly objected to “the name of the Taliban’s office” in the Qatari capital.
“The president is not happy with the name of the office. We oppose the title the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ because such a thing doesn’t exist,” Faizi said. “The US was aware of the president’s stance.”
Meanwhile, the Taliban said it would continue to target the US military in Afghanistan, undeterred by US moves to hold direct negotiations with it .
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson, said his group will not change their tactics or objectives.
The Taliban threat rang true as the armed group claimed responsibility for an attack on the Bagram air base, that killed four US soldiers on Tuesday.
The air base, a sprawling centre about 47km north of Kabul, serves as a major hub for US aircraft.
Al Jazeera’s Jane Feguson said the Taliban threat to continue with its attacks reflected that the armed group had been emboldened by its perceived successes on the battlefield.
“Zabihullah said it was those attacks in the first place that forced parties on the ground to the negotiation table. It shows a real confidence on the side of the Taliban when they say that,” she said.
“They see themselves in the driving seat of these peace negotiations rather than having to make any military concessions on the ground,” she said.
“It seems that the Taliban are trying to push for a two-pronged approach to what they would see as a victory: The diplomatic approach in Doha as well as the military approach.”
The US military presence in Afghanistan is roughly 66 000 troops, after having reached a peak of about 100 000 forces.
US officials cautioned that the peace process would likely be messy and has no guarantee of success.
“It’s going to be a long, hard process if indeed it advances significantly at all,” a senior US official said.
Meanwhile, the Nato command in Kabul on Tuesday completed handing over lead security responsibility to Afghan government forces across the country.
Nato plans to end all combat operations in Afghanistan by December 2014. — Al Jazeera
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