Authors: Julian E. Barnes, Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Eric Schmitt
Affiliation: The New York Times
Organization/Publisher: The New York Times
Date/Place: March 1, 2020/ U.S.
Type of Literature: Article
Word Count: 2,000
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/asia/afghanistan-war-troops-cia.html
Keywords: The Taliban and U.S. peace deal; Al Qaeda; C.I.A; Militia Networks; Afghanistan.
Brief:
This article considers the future prospects of the recent peace deal between the US and the Taliban, the author highlighting the possible outcomes of the peace deal through the lens of some military officers and US intelligence officials. This piece analyses the American, the Taliban, and the Afghanistan government’s future possible steps towards this deal. The authors quote stories from the Vietnam war and the Soviet presence in Afghanistan to emphasize the importance of an international community presence in the country. Concurrently, the role of the C.I.A and its overwhelming control over the American bases and militia network after the Trump administration in Afghanistan is taken into account. The de facto partnership between the US and the Taliban to fight against more extreme groups is discussed. For now, the US war of attrition against the Taliban has theoretically ended which means the withdrawal of US troops may not take place immediately and the planned 14 month timetable to withdraw around 12,000 American troops is not certain. The outcome of future Taliban and Afghanistan government peace talks and the residing Al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan are potential risks that can jeopardize the peace deal.
By: Abdullah Jurat, CIGA Research Associate
