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US, Taliban sign deal to withdraw troops from Afghanistan
The Hill ^ | 02 29 2020 | Rebecca Kheel

Posted on 02/29/2020 6:20:34 AM PST by yesthatjallen

The United States and the Taliban signed a historic deal Saturday aimed at winding down America’s longest war.

With Secretary of State Mike Pompeo watching over, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban’s political chief, Abdul Ghani Baradar, signed a deal in Doha, Qatar, to begin the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

In exchange, the Taliban is assuring it will not allow Afghanistan to be used by terrorists to attack the United States.

Despite the milestone, a long road remains before peace in Afghanistan, including intra-Afghan talks where the entire deal still has the potential to collapse.

“This is how we will ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a base for international terrorists,” Pompeo said ahead of the deal signing.

“We’re just at the beginning. Furthering the cause of peace will require serious work and sacrifice by all sides,” he added. “This agreement will mean nothing and today's good feelings will not last if we don't take concrete actions on commitments and promises that have been made.”

The United States and the Taliban have been at war in Afghanistan since after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks carried out by al Qaeda operatives harbored by the Taliban.

President Trump campaigned on ending America’s so-called endless wars and had made reaching a deal with the Taliban a top foreign policy priority heading into his 2020 reelection campaign.

SNIP

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; taliban
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1 posted on 02/29/2020 6:20:34 AM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen
“This is how we will ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a base for international terrorists,” Pompeo said ahead of the deal signing.

Psst, hey Mikey, do just one more thing, stop all Muslims from entering our country. That will keep the terrorists away.

2 posted on 02/29/2020 6:25:55 AM PST by RubinBoomer (Please be nice. I am new here. I'm open to doing things the FR way, just need to know.)
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To: yesthatjallen

Nixon didn’t even have a peace deal signed in Vietnam by Novermber 1972, but with one clearly on the horizon he won in a landslide.

Now that was a bigger war, of course, and there were other reasons Nixon won big, of course, but still, there is some parallelism here, even if not exactly congruent.

(The one parallel I hope DOESN’T exist is how dismal the Republicans did in congressional elections that year despite Nixon’s landslide victory... a fact that can at least partially be laid at Nixon’s feet.)


3 posted on 02/29/2020 6:27:52 AM PST by samtheman (FReepers all do want Bernie to get the dem nomination, right? (Just to be clear))
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To: yesthatjallen

Yeah, right.


4 posted on 02/29/2020 6:28:30 AM PST by DownInFlames (Galsd)
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To: yesthatjallen

> Taliban is assuring it will not allow Afghanistan to be used by terrorists to attack the United States <

Is there is even one person in the world who believes that?

Afghanistan will turn out to be even a worse debacle than Vietnam. At least the North Vietnamese didn’t plan attacks on the West after the war ended. What a disaster George W. Bush was.


5 posted on 02/29/2020 6:29:37 AM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: yesthatjallen

HOORAY Chief. Walk softly and carry a big level.

Some day the pawns from the DC Divide & Control POWER CENTERS might see clearly. It is 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWghTVdDGDM

123, 123, 123, 123

Now, about those forward operating bases (mosques) BOLO for fast & furious.


6 posted on 02/29/2020 6:34:08 AM PST by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: yesthatjallen

Islam does allow for peace with infidels IF it is for a mere pause in fighting to regroup and recover in the face of a stronger enemy. Mad Moe’s Mafia, however, never totally gives up on the fight.


7 posted on 02/29/2020 6:36:07 AM PST by Nateman ( Unless the left is screaming you are doing it wrong.)
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To: Leaning Right
I will suggest that there was an offer made that could not be refused

During the meetings, the American chief negotiator pulled out a picture from his file, showed it to the chief Taliban negotiator and then put it back in the file. The American actually said nothing. He merely displayed the photo

The Taliban got the unspoken message


8 posted on 02/29/2020 6:39:26 AM PST by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Progressives are existential American enemies)
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To: DownInFlames

Drone On , LOL


9 posted on 02/29/2020 6:43:29 AM PST by butlerweave
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To: bert

> During the meetings, the American chief negotiator pulled out a picture from his file <

Interesting. But put yourself in the shoes of a Taliban leader. You are a crazy religious fanatic. And an infidel foreign power has run roughshod over your country for 20 years.

Soon you will be back in power. After you are done killing all the collaborators, you’ll be thinking revenge. You won’t be going back to weaving blankets.

Joe Biden - of all people - was right. After 9/11 he said no boots on the ground. Just bomb them wherever they might gather.


10 posted on 02/29/2020 6:47:35 AM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: yesthatjallen

It’s about time. Get out of that da*n country. Let it’s neighbors and Europe deal with it.


11 posted on 02/29/2020 6:55:52 AM PST by setter
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To: Nateman
Islam does allow for peace with infidels IF it is for a mere pause in fighting to regroup and recover in the face of a stronger enemy. Mad Moe’s Mafia, however, never totally gives up on the fight.

I agree. This is a case of be extremely cautions and verify.

They'll have to be monitored 24/7/365+ to be sure they live up to their agreement.

A rapid ready force should be established.

12 posted on 02/29/2020 6:56:51 AM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen

We should have been out 15+ years ago, after the punitive expedition phase. No nation building, there’s no raw material for that.


13 posted on 02/29/2020 6:57:00 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: yesthatjallen

Good. There’s no point in us staying anymore. The message was sent. Bin Laden is dead and the regime that harbored him payed a high blood price for it.


14 posted on 02/29/2020 7:02:47 AM PST by FLT-bird
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To: Leaning Right

What the USA should have done at the time (2002) was PAID the Russian army (who needed the money desperately at the time) to go into Afghanistan and clean up. Bring us bin Landen’s head, no media, no questions, just make it happen. Straight down mercinaries.

We should have not cared if Afghanistan became a Russian satelite. It would have tunred out better for them, and for us.


15 posted on 02/29/2020 7:08:34 AM PST by Ouderkirk (Life is about ass, you're either covering, hauling, laughing, kicking, kissing, or behaving like one)
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To: Ouderkirk

George W. Bush missed so many unique opportunities. Right after 9/11 the entire West was on our side. A grand alliance against radical Islam could have been done, easily. And some sort of deal with Russia could have been worked out.

9/11 was, of course, an attack on the United States. Bush could have invoked the NATO defensive clause. Many people expected that. But no. Bush evidently wanted all the glory for himself.

Not only did Bush turn Afghanistan into another Vietnam, he went and invaded another country that had nothing to do with 9/11. It would be as if FDR decided to invade Russia right after Pearl Harbor.

(Sorry for the rant.)


16 posted on 02/29/2020 7:19:19 AM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: yesthatjallen

Isn’t Obama amazing for setting up the foundation for this agreement? /sarc


17 posted on 02/29/2020 7:22:22 AM PST by Do_Tar (Do I really need a /sarc?)
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To: yesthatjallen

Chalk up another loss for the USA, thanks to the likes of Colin Powell and the Bushs’.


18 posted on 02/29/2020 7:48:01 AM PST by kenmcg (tHE WHOLE)
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To: Ouderkirk

Interesting, i remember making that assessment many years ago to a roomful of Generals who were horrified, and dismissive


19 posted on 02/29/2020 7:59:50 AM PST by silverleaf (Remember kids: You can vote your way into communism, but you have to shoot your way out!)
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To: FLT-bird

Remember the ultimatum that got us in there?

Had the taliban turned over Bin Laden after 9-11, they would have met our terms and Afghanistan probably not been attacked


20 posted on 02/29/2020 8:02:28 AM PST by silverleaf (Remember kids: You can vote your way into communism, but you have to shoot your way out!)
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