U.S. Deal With Taliban Meets Afghan Resistance as Violence Intensifies by Mujib Mashal – New York Times
The Afghan government is pushing back against American diplomats on the eve of a troop withdrawal deal with the Taliban, concerned that the proposed agreement lacks assurances that the insurgents will honor their promises once American troops leave.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the American special envoy who has finalized “in principle” a deal with the Taliban after nearly a year of negotiations, has met with President Ashraf Ghani and his senior officials in Kabul at least four times over the past few days to seek their support for the deal that is about to be announced, officials say.
That deal includes a timetable for the withdrawal of the remaining American and coalition troops that Western officials say could be about 16 months long, in return for assurances that the Taliban will break from international terrorist groups and start direct negotiations with Afghan officials over Afghanistan’s political future…