Taliban urge Biden's commitment to Afghan peace deal

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - The Taliban in Afghanistan on Tuesday urged US President-elect Joe Biden to stay committed to the Doha peace accord with the group, signed during the Donald Trump administration.

In its initial public response to the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the US presidential elections, the Taliban said in a statement that the Doha agreement was "an excellent document for bringing an end to the war and for a better future for both countries."

The statement posted on the group's propaganda site addressed Biden and future US administrations that withdrawing all American forces from Afghanistan would be in the interest of both "our peoples and our nations." The group also expressed its commitment to the agreement.

"The future American president and administration need to be vigilant of war-mongering circles, individuals and groups that seek to perpetuate the war and to keep America mired in conflict in order to pursue their own personal interests and hold over power," said the Taliban statement.

This comes as the Afghan government continues to blame the insurgents for mounting terrorist attacks across the country.

Afghan Second Vice President Sarwar Danish on Monday urged the new US administration under Biden to reconsider the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban.

Addressing a conference in Kabul, Danish claimed the insurgents did not believe in a peaceful resolution to the conflict. "We [the Afghan government] have neither signed nor been a party to this agreement [peace agreement between the US and Taliban] nor have we ratified it, and from our legal point of view and our obligations, we have no responsibility for the details of its content," he added.

Under the Trump administration, the deal signed between the US and Taliban paved the way for intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha between the Kabul government and the Taliban. However, no tangible progress has been made at these talks in the Qatari capital since its launch on Sep. 12.