Kabul's issues with Taliban unresolved: President Ghani

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Afghanistan’s president on Sunday said the landmark U.S.-Taliban peace deal did not resolve outstanding issues between Kabul and the insurgent group.

A day after the historic agreement was signed in Qatar’s capital Doha, Ashraf Ghani clarified that the Afghan government had not made any commitment for the proposed release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

There would be no such move without “national consensus and understanding,” Ghani said at a press conference in the capital Kabul.

“The release of detainees is not in the domain of the U.S., only the Afghan government has that authority,” he asserted, adding that the country’s parliament would decide the matter.

However, President Ghani, who has not hidden his reservations over some points of the U.S.-Taliban deal, pledged to take the peace process forward with consensus.

On Saturday, two landmark conferences in Doha and Kabul saw historic decisions made regarding the fate of war-ravaged Afghanistan.

The U.S. signed a deal with the Taliban in Doha, laying out a timetable for a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Taliban dealmaker Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group's deputy chief, signed the accord alongside U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad.

The agreement is expected to lead to talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and pave the way for an end to the 18-year conflict.

Baradar pledged to abide by the terms of the peace deal and thanked Pakistan, Iran, China, and Russia for their role, while also urging them to help rebuild the war-torn country.

“I call upon all Afghans to come together for Islamic values,” he said.

Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada urged "Mujahideen to solidify, organize, and bolster their ranks so that they can attain their objective of establishing an Islamic government.”

Under the accord, the Taliban agreed not to allow al-Qaeda, Daesh, or any other militant group to operate in areas under their control.

The U.S. and its allies, after an initial reduction of troops from roughly 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days, will move towards a complete withdrawal within 14 months.

At the height of the war, which started weeks after the September 2001 attacks in the U.S., Afghanistan had more than 100,000 American troops and tens of thousands of others from the U.S.-led NATO coalition.

The deal also provides for a prisoner swap, and the U.S. lifting sanctions against the Taliban.

Meanwhile in Kabul, the U.S. and NATO issued a joint declaration, reiterating enduring support for the Afghan government.

Flanked by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Ghani said an inclusive team would soon be formed to begin intra-Afghan talks with the Taliban.

According to the joint declaration, Washington and Kabul expressed their commitment to end the war in Afghanistan for the benefit of all Afghans and bring peace to the region.

Washington also reaffirmed its commitment to release funds on a yearly basis that support the training, equipping, advising, and sustaining of Afghan security forces to defend the country against internal and external threats.

The Afghan government pledged to participate in a U.S.-facilitated discussion with Taliban representatives on confidence-building measures, such as the release of prisoners.

It also committed to start diplomatic engagement with members of the UN Security Council to remove Taliban members from the sanctions list, with the aim of achieving peace by May 29, 2020.