The United States currently has around 3,500 troops in the country, alongside thousands of contractors and international forces still on the ground. The United States’ unilateral negotiations with the Taliban have drawn ire from Afghan negotiators, who see the side discussions as a distraction from the broader peace talks. Even if the United States and the Taliban reach a deal to reduce violence, it is not likely to result in a full cease-fire, said one of the Afghan government negotiators, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Specifically, the United States is pushing for three months of reduced violence and has been for some time — though U.S. diplomats hope that timeline could be extended. Many of the delays in securing a new deal to reduce violence stem from the original February 2020 agreement.

Source: New York Times April 04, 2021 14:15 UTC