Consider the following statements:1. The Doha talks is the first-ever ...
- Recently, the Taliban has seized Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, raising questions over the US and NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) trained Afghan Forces.
- The Taliban have proclaimed that there will be no witch hunt, that it will respect a transitional process, and that it will work for a future Islamic system that is acceptable to all.
- Peace Talks between Taliban, Afghanistan and USA:
- Murree Talks:
- In 2015 the US had sent a representative to the first-ever meeting between the Taliban and the Afghan government that was hosted by Pakistan in Murree in 2015. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
- However, the Murree talks did not progress.
- Doha Talks:
- In 2020, before the Doha Talks started, the Taliban had maintained that they would hold direct talks only with the US, and not with the Kabul government, which they did not recognise.
- In the agreement, the US administration promised that it would withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by 1st May, 2021. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
- The deadline has been pushed to 11th September 2021.
- This provided the Taliban a sense of victory and demoralised the Afghan troops.
- The Taliban promised to reduce violence, join intra-Afghan peace talks and cut all ties with foreign terrorist groups.
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Consider the following statements:1. The Doha talks is the first-ever ...
The correct answer is option 'B' - 2 only. Let's discuss each statement separately to understand why.
1. The Doha talks is the first-ever meeting between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
The statement is incorrect. The Doha talks, also known as the Doha Agreement or the Doha Peace Agreement, was not the first-ever meeting between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Prior to the Doha talks, there have been several meetings and negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government, although they were mostly informal and unofficial. The Doha talks, which took place in Qatar in 2020, were significant as they resulted in a formal agreement between the two parties.
2. It was in the Doha talks where the US administration promised to withdraw all the American troops from Afghanistan by May 2021.
The statement is correct. During the Doha talks, the US administration, represented by the then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, made a commitment to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by May 2021. This commitment was part of the Doha Agreement signed between the United States and the Taliban on February 29, 2020. The agreement outlined a phased approach to the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, with a timeline for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.
In conclusion, statement 1 is incorrect as the Doha talks were not the first-ever meeting between the Taliban and the Afghan government. However, statement 2 is correct as it was in the Doha talks where the US administration promised to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by May 2021. Therefore, the correct answer is option 'B' - 2 only.