The US Department of Defence has said that it’s no longer conducting counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan because it views the group as an important partner in its efforts for restoring peace in the war-ravaged country. “What we’re not doing (is) counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis told a Wednesday evening news briefing in Washington. “We actually view the Taliban as being an important partner in a peaceful Afghan-led reconciliation process. We are not actively targeting the Taliban,” he added. The briefing, however, focused on US efforts to defeat the Middle East-based terrorist group IS (the self-styled Islamic State) which also has some presence in the Pak-Afghan region. Capt Davis said that some “lone wolves” in Pakistan and Afghanistan were using the IS brand to raise their stature but the group did not have an institutional presence in the region. Before making any conclusion it must be noted that the briefing was about the threat presented by Islamic State (IS), and therefore the statement must be taken in context. The US is not conducting ‘counter-terrorism’ operations against the Taliban, it is focusing on the Al Qaeda and IS; it’s a matter of prioritization. Secondly, intelligence gathering and support to the Afghan military will continue against the Taliban.
Therefore it is wrong – as some sections are suggesting – that the US does not view the Taliban as a target anymore. It does so, but recognizes that without reaching some sort of a negotiated solution with the Taliban the conflict will drag on.
The change in US policy puts the ball back in Ashraf Ghani’s court. After the talks fell apart in the wake of the report of Mullah Omar’s death, the Afghan government has not restarted the dialogue, nor has it shown a road map on how it plans to end this conflict. With the US mirroring Pakistan’s stance by supporting a dialogue, Afghanistan may have to reconsider its position.
pk.shafaqna.com
