US-Taliban 'Peace Agreement Violation' Dispute... Taliban Claims "The Other Side Violates the Agreement Almost Daily"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] After the U.S. Biden administration accused the Afghan Islamic militant group Taliban of violating the peace agreement, the Taliban also strongly voiced their opposition.

On the 29th (local time), according to AFP and other sources, Mohammad Naeem, Taliban spokesperson, stated, "The other side has violated the agreement almost daily," adding, "They bombed civilians and villages, which goes beyond a simple breach of the agreement and constitutes a violation of human rights." The "other side" mentioned by the Taliban is interpreted to mean the United States and the Afghan government forces.

This backlash from the Taliban was triggered by remarks from John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense. Kirby said the previous day, "The Biden administration is committed to ending the Afghan war and the agreement between both sides," but also pointed out, "The Taliban has not kept its promise to reduce violence and sever ties with al-Qaeda."

The Taliban has been engaged in peace negotiations with the government side since September last year but has yet to reach any significant conclusion. Amid rapidly changing external circumstances including the U.S. presidential election, ongoing mutual disagreements have prevented the start of formal negotiations.

In the first round of talks last February, the U.S. agreed to withdraw U.S. and allied forces within 14 months, while the Taliban agreed to prevent extremist groups' activities in Afghanistan and resume intra-faction dialogue, but this agreement did not last long. Recently, the Taliban urged the U.S. to withdraw all troops by May.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.