US President Donald Trump said September 7 that he had called off peace talks with Taliban leaders after the militant group took credit for an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed 12 people, including a US soldier, CNN reported.
Writing for the newspaper The Beijing News, Niu Song, a research fellow at The Middle East Studies Institute, Shanghai International Studies University, noted that this does not mean a complete break with the Taliban, but is a move characteristic of Trump – changing instantly to force more concessions from rivals.
US troops killed in Afghanistan have almost become a norm - 16 so far this year. Trump is using the killing of of Sgt. 1st Class Elis A. Barreto Ortiz as an excuse to halt the ongoing talks, Niu said.
Trump also has some urgent considerations, he said. The scheduled date for this round of talks and Ortiz's death were near the 18th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks. Trump had faced criticism from both sides for his plan to invite Taliban negotiators on to US soil.
Judging from the progress in the nine US-Taliban rounds of talks, although they have agreed to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the US hopes to facilitate a dialogue between the Taliban and the Afghan regime through phased withdrawals, but the militant group demands a complete withdrawal.
Afghanistan has a long way to go before achieving true, lasting peace, Niu said. The US is clear that without its support, Afghan government forces cannot withstand a serious blow from the Taliban. With a complete withdrawal, the Taliban is likely to rule the country, a case scenario unacceptable to the US.
That said, the US and the militant group still expect something from each other, and the two sides have not let their ties slip out of control. They will have to resume contact to promote their respective interests, Niu said.
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