US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he cancelled peace talks with Afghanistan's Taliban leaders after the group said it was behind an attack in Kabul that killed a US soldier and 11 other people.
Trump made the announcement in a series of tweets, saying he "called off" the peace negotiations and "cancelled" a secret meeting with the Taliban's "major leaders" that was planned for Sunday at a presidential compound in Camp David, Maryland. Trump said he had also planned to meet Afghanistan's president.
"If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don't have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway," Trump tweeted, adding that the Taliban sought to "build false leverage".
"I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?" Trump said.
It is unclear if the US-Taliban talks are permanently over or only paused.
The US president has been under pressure from the Afghan government, politicians and some members of his administration who mistrust the Taliban and think it's too early to withdraw US forces.
Taliban fighters, who now control more territory than at any time since 2001, launched fresh assaults on the northern Afghan cities of Kunduz and Pul-e Khumri over the past week and carried out two major suicide bombings in the capital Kabul.
Elis A Barreto Ortiz, US Army sergeant 1st class, was killed in one of the blasts, bringing the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan this year to 16.
A Romanian soldier was also killed.
Draft peace deal
Earlier this week, US and Taliban negotiators struck a draft peace deal that could lead to a withdrawal of US troops from the US's longest war. But a wave of Taliban violence has cast a long shadow over a possible deal.
US Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, who oversees US troops in the region, declined to comment on the diplomatic negotiations themselves.
McKenzie said for the peace process to move forward, "all parties should be committed to an eventual political settlement" which, in turn, should result in reduced violence."It is particularly unhelpful at this moment in Afghanistan's history for the Taliban to ramp up violence," McKenzie, head of US Central Command, told reporters travelling with him.
"If we can't get that going in, then it is difficult to see the parties are going to be able to carry out the terms of the agreement, whatever they might or might not be," McKenzie said.
Under the draft accord, thousands of US troops would be withdrawn over the coming months in exchange for guarantees Afghanistan would not be used as a base for attacks on the US and its allies.
However, a full peace agreement to end more than 18 years of war would depend on subsequent "intra-Afghan" talks. The Taliban have rejected calls for a ceasefire and instead stepped up operations across the country.
The Taliban explained their surge in deadly attacks, which included the capitals of Kunduz and Baghlan provinces last weekend, as necessary to give them a stronger negotiating position in talks with the US.
For many Afghans, the Taliban's recent escalation of attacks has underscored fears it may be impossible to reach a stable settlement following a complete US withdrawal.
Many have worried about a fracture along ethnic and regional lines.
Some Taliban members are based in neighbouring Pakistan, where McKenzie held talks on Saturday with a top Pakistani general. More talks are scheduled for Sunday.
McKenzie said he did not know whether any of the planning for the recent wave of attacks in Afghanistan came from Pakistan-based fighters.
Awami National Party central president Asfandyar Wali Khan on Saturday said any deal between the US and Afghan Taliban without the involvement of Afghan government to end the 18 years long conflict would plunge the war-torn country into further chaos.
“Restoration of peace in Afghanistan will be out of question if the US and Afghan Taliban strike a deal and the Afghan government is kept out of it,” Asfandyar Wali told a presser here after chairing a meeting of the party’s central working committee here.
The ANP leader said Afghan president Dr Ashraf Ghani had cancelled his scheduled visit to Washington fuelling uncertainty and unrest in the region.
He said only the talks led and owned by Afghans could pave the way for durable peace in Afghanistan and that the cancellation of president Ghani’s US visit would make the situation ‘shakier’.
“Forget about peace if the Afghan government is not involved in the negotiation process on the future of Afghanistan,” he said.
Mr Asfandyar said the Afghan Taliban and Kabul were parties to the conflict and it would be very unwise to sign any peace deal without involving anyone of them.
He said his party expected that the US, China and Russia would act as guarantors to ensure implementation of all conditions for any peace deal.
The ANP leader said Pakistani parliament had passed a joint resolution calling for the Afghan- led and Afghan-owned peace deal and the government was bound to follow it.
He said the ANP’s stand on Afghan issue was very clear and that it had always supported the inclusion of Afghan government in talks as if that didn’t happen, the prospects of peace would remain dim.
Mr Asfandyar urged Pakistan and other stakeholders to expedite efforts for lasting peace in Afghanistan.
When asked whether his party will become part of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s plan to lock down Islamabad, the ANP leader said his party would abide by the decision of the joint opposition and not one party’s.
“The ANP is not bound to follow the decision of a single party regarding Islamabad lockdown and will decide own line of action on it,” he said urging the opposition parties to evolve consensus on the matter.
The JUI-F has announced Islamabad lockdown in Oct to force Prime Minister Imran Khan into stepping down.
The ANP leader also spoke about situation in the India-held Kashmir and demanded an immediate lifting of curfew in the region. He termed Indian actions in the occupied Kashmir an ‘open aggression’.
Mr Asfandyar said former military ruler Pervez Musharraf had proposed the division of Kashmir into three parts and (Prime Minister) Imran Khan had supported the idea at that time.
He accused India of violating Simla Accord and UN resolutions on Kashmir dispute.
The ANP leader asked the government to unveil details of the recent ‘agreement’ made by Prime Minister Imran Khan and US President Donald Trump in Washington.
“The government should not conceal details of Imran-Trump agreement if nothing is fishy,” he said. Mr Asfandyar said the government had failed on the diplomatic front and that Pakistan had lost the support of its close friend, China, which, too, had changed its stand.
He asked the government to revisit internal and external policies.
Expressing concern about the law and order situation in certain parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the ANP leader warned that militant outfits were regrouping in Buner, Swat and Waziristan districts.
He said the recent killing of four suspected militants in Peuchar area of Swat district was an eye-opener.
Mr Asfandyar said on one hand, the security agencies issued security alert to politicians and asked them to restrict movement but on the other, their security details were withdrawn.
“Aimal Wali was issued a threat alert and was asked not to offer Eid prayer,” he said.
The ANP leader said the provision of security to people was the government’s responsibility.
He condemned enforced disappearance of social activists in the province.
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