“Afghan Leaders’ Anger Over Peace Talks Is Focused on the U.S. Diplomat in Charge” (news article, March 16) did not fully capture the concerns of Afghans over the talks between the United States and the Taliban. We Afghans are getting angry, frustrated and worried.We are angry that a monumental deal about the future of our country is being made without our presence. Our elected government and our people are being sidelined from the peace talks.
We are frustrated that the United States is considering agreeing on a timeline for the withdrawal of American troops in exchange for the Taliban’s empty promise to oppose international terrorist organizations in Afghanistan. The Taliban’s ambitions for an Islamic emirate, a theocratic totalitarian government, have not changed.
We are worried that American taxpayers’ frustration over the expensive and unending Afghan war will push their leaders to make a rushed decision with dire consequences for Afghanistan. A precipitate withdrawal of American troops without a successful peace deal between the United States, the Afghan government and the Taliban will lead to a protracted civil war.
The writer is a research associate for Afghanistan and Pakistan studies at the Middle East Institute.