US and Taliban sign deal to end 18-year war

[Mr. Sparkle]

Source: BBC

The US and the Taliban have signed an agreement aimed at paving the way towards peace in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict. The US and its Nato allies have agreed to withdraw all their troops from the country within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Taliban leaders attended the signing ceremony in Doha in Qatar. Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are due to follow. Under the agreement signed in Doha, the militants also agreed not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in the areas they control.

The US invaded Afghanistan weeks after the September 2001 attacks in New York by the Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda group. More than 2,400 US troops have been killed during the conflict. About 12,000 are still stationed in the country. President Trump has promised to put an end to the conflict.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51689443

[PubliusEnigma]

1. Nice try, Donald. This will not fix the stock market or make coronavirus go away.

In fact, nobody will even care about this.

[Nasruddin]

19. Sunk cost

It's hard to fault Mr Trump & his regime for this. It's essentially capitulation, but we did what we needed to do a long time ago & we failed on every other front. Mr Obama should've done the same instead of the surge. This is the best worst thing to do.

We had very little idea what we getting into & what was possible - and we knew that going in.

Iraq & Syria have some similarities and some huge differences. Not easily comparable. Capitulation & abandonment were not appropriate at all (let alone "we kept the oil&quot .

[not fooled]

20. Yeah

Although I suspect chimpy and darth planned to use the Afghanistan war as a sink into which to pour taxpayer dollars destined for their cronies. Which is why they never cared whether it was going to be "won" or even a "success" and why it was allowed to go on for so long.

[in2herbs]

2. Depending on the terms and conditions, doesn't Congress has to approve this deal?? nt

[hangaleft]

3. I thought we don't negotiate with terrorists...

I guess Republican administrations can get away with it. Only Democratic administrations would get flamed for doing so.

[IronLionZion]

6. Trump makes deals with the best people

like Kim Jong Un, the Taliban, and more.

[mysteryowl]

11. That is what I thought too.

[ChazII]

4. Saw the signing on CNN. n/t

[Bev54]

5. Why do I not trust this deal

I have more trust in the Taliban than this administration, so it is pretty low on both sides.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. "Charlie Wilson's War"

Great movie. The war never ends. It never will. It's about carving up the mountains and placing the pipelines. Too many people in the way.

[Coventina]

8. And with that, every death in Afghanistan was for nothing.

Let me be clear: I don't think we should have gone into Afghanistan in the first place.
But having gone there, we should have identified a goal and done the needful to achieve that goal.

Now, it was a big waste of blood and treasure.

[Polybius]

14. But it would have taken 100 years to achive

At some point, we have to say enough is enough. We should have pulled out 10 years ago.

[Coventina]

15. We never should have gone in in the first place.

Afghanistan is not called the grave of Empires for nothing.

[Polybius]

16. True

This is why I still think Bush Jr. was even worse than Trump. He caused many more deaths, even well after presidency ended.

[keithbvadu2]

9. The Taliban's word is just as credible as Trump's.

[mahina]

39. This all day.

Who will they announce an investigation of, I wonder.

[shotten99]

10. Likely akin to Nixon's 1972 "peace deal"

That allowed for the NVA to remain in South Vietnam. Peace my ass...

[mysteryowl]

12. I am really having trouble believing this.

What was the deal? Aren't they considered terrorists?

I celebrate the ending of war, yes of course. It would be great for troops to come home and look at the money we will save. I wonder the annual price tag for the US being there?

[sandensea]

13. +1

Sounds like another Kim Jong Fraud.

[Mosby]

25. Wapo article

https://www.democraticunderground.com/113326698

[benld74]

17. Homeland jumped shark on this last episode

Hope we don’t wind up like their next episode
nt

[SunSeeker]

18. Nice spin. This was not a "deal." We got nothing. We just acceded to Taliban demands to leave.

We cut and ran. The Taliban knows this. The world knows this.

We surrendered. Period.

[Red Mountain]

36. He's a TERRIBLE negotiator

The bank just foreclosed.

[former9thward]

37. How long do you want to remain there?

How many more needless deaths to you want to happen?

[SunSeeker]

40. I don't. I just hate the bullshit spin and lies. nt

[They_Live]

21. Ooh are they going to replace the priceless Buddha statues

that they destroyed? I thought that we didn't negotiate with terrorists.

[paleotn]

24. Except when we negotiate with terrorists.

[Newest Reality]

26. Well,

We do know that it takes one to know one, some are just in the closet or deflecting from their intentions.

It depends on how you define the word.

[paleotn]

32. Ain't that the truth.

[Red Mountain]

35. Trump doesn't know about that

and if he does he doesn't care.

He wants a victory.

[OldBaldy1701E]

41. True, but we all know...

there has to be more to this. Like, the Taliban cannot sustain this fight forever and they know it. So, they decided to 'talk'... and based on previous sects actions in the middle east, we know they are good for this... right?

[yaesu]

22. "aimed at paving the way towards peace in Afghanistan" & trump also announced there is a pot of gold

at the end of every rainbow.

[paleotn]

23. So we've flushed a trillion +

down the proverbial toilet and Afghanistan will be same as it ever was. Wonderful. Too bad W didn't just "pay the man" to rid us of Bin Laden and his merry band of desperadoes. Omar offered and it would have been a hell of a lot cheaper in treasure and blood.

[Newest Reality]

27. Let the poppies grow...

and the heroin flow?

For some, this is better than increased choco rations, (up 5%).

[Under The Radar]

28. The Taliban is not the Afghan Government

And according to the United States Government from 2001 until now, the Taliban is a terrorist organization.
The truth isn’t being told. 19 years, trillions of dollars not including the $700billion that we have spent for 20 years in defense spending, to fight a Gang with no infrastructure, income or organization structure.

[IADEMO2004]

29. Bless their hearts.

Peace for Israel and Palestinians check

Peace for Taliban and America check

[Docreed2003]

30. Sadly I think the war in Afghanistan was over before it ever began

If Massoud has not been assassinated in the days before 9/11, there could have been hope for real change in Afghanistan.

[Devil Child]

31. If this agreement finally extricates is from that shithole then so be it

But my hopes remain slim for any administration finally abandoning our Afghan misadventures.

[paleotn]

33. Extrication was never an issue.

All we had to do was a "Nixon". Declare victory and leave. And that's exactly what this is. Maybe the best of some really shitty options, since we'll never, ever fix what we broke there. Ironic it's a Republican admin that's "cutting and running" though. Nice little blast from the past....the Iraq War. At best, future admins may learn from these lessons and maybe game shit out a bit before going in guns blazing. Worst case, we set up a nice little home for Isis to reconstitute.

[Bengus81]

34. That BS "cease fire" won't last a day.........

And yeah we go in looking for OBL and going to "smoke him out" and we are NOT going to "cut and run". What seemed like no time Bush declares he doesn't know where OBL is nor does he care.

Republicans SUCK in everything they do except making the RICH even RICHER..........

[mahina]

38. The words 'to end the war' are working overtime in the headline.

Sign a deal to sign a deal.

We didn’t count the money we gave them, we weighed it. What will they extort this time?

Love to all our troops and allies that left parts of themselves there, body heart and mind.

Fuck you Donnie.

[DeminPennswoods]

42. It was always going to end this way

whether Trump or another president ended it. Not much different than VN when you think about it.