Small Wars Journal

Afghan Conflict: What Will Taliban Do After Signing US Deal?

Sun, 03/01/2020 - 8:51am

Afghan Conflict: What Will Taliban Do After Signing US Deal? By Secunder Kermani – BBC News

US, Afghan and Taliban officials have all been careful to avoid calling Saturday's agreement in Doha "a peace deal." But in Afghanistan, a sense of cautious optimism has been rising ever since a week long "reduction in violence" or partial truce leading to the signing came into effect.

How did we get here? And why did it take so long?

The Afghan war has been a bloody stalemate for years now, with the Taliban increasingly controlling or contesting more territory, yet unable to capture and hold major urban centres.

There seems to have been a growing realisation, both amongst the group's leadership and in the US that neither side is capable of an outright military victory. President Trump, meanwhile, has been clear about his desire to withdraw American troops from the country…

Read on.