How the next five months may decide the future of Afghanistan

Published on 15-Apr-2021

Khushboo Razdan

The crumbling U.S-mediated peace process throws Afghanistan precariously closer to another civil war. Here's how the next five months may decide the fate of the war-wrecked country.

An average of five children have been killed or wounded every day for the past 14 years in war-wrecked Afghanistan, according to Save The Children. /VCG

Twenty years on from the American invasion of Afghanistan following 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from the country by September 11.

"The Taliban wanted a U.S. exit, they got it. What we want now from the Taliban is peace and life in dignity and harmony," tweeted Afghan peace negotiator Fawzia Koofi.

This comes a day after the armed group refused to participate in a 10-day meeting, scheduled from April 24 to May 1, to chalk out a possible political solution in Turkey.

"Despite the peace talks, there is no peace on the ground," political commentator Prof. Faiz Zaland told CGTN Digital.

"All sides have lately been using more aggression to gain leverage in the negotiations. The country recorded a 29-percent jump in civilian casualties in the first three months of 2021," he said, citing the latest United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report.

Biden's move flies in the face of caution advised by U.S. spy agencies.

U.S. Congress members Michael Waltz, Liz Cheney, and Scott Franklin wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on April 12: "The intelligence community has repeatedly warned that U.S. withdrawal will allow these groups to thrive and maintain safe havens."

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