Taliban Claims Doha Agreement with the U.S. Has Ended

On the fifth anniversary of the signing of the agreement between the United States and the Taliban, known as the 'Doha Agreement', the Taliban government announced that this agreement was related to a specific timeframe and is no longer valid. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, stated in a video released on Friday, March 1, that the Taliban government 'now has its own system of governance' and will no longer proceed based on that agreement. He claimed that 'essential parts of this agreement have been implemented', while also alleging that the United States has not fulfilled certain aspects, such as ending the sanctions list and taking positive steps towards engagement with Afghanistan. The Doha Agreement paved the way for the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban anti-terrorism guarantees. However, significant parts of this agreement, which required dialogue among various Afghan groups to form a transitional government, were never fully implemented. The Doha Agreement was signed on March 1, 2020, during Donald Trump's previous administration. Some U.S. officials have considered this agreement a factor in the collapse of the Afghan government on the brink of the final U.S. military withdrawal. Nevertheless, Donald Trump defended this 'very good agreement' during last year's election debate, blaming his successor Joe Biden for the events that occurred during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Afghan citizens currently have differing views on the Doha Agreement. Some citizens, in conversations with Radio Free Europe’s Afghan section, have considered the outcome of this agreement as the end of the war in Afghanistan, while others have pointed to the negative results of this agreement. Anwar, a resident of Ghazni province in central Afghanistan, stated, 'The Doha Agreement was overall positive; the 40-year war in Afghanistan has ended.' A resident of Kabul also told Radio Free Europe’s Afghan section that this agreement did not yield positive results and that if it had been properly implemented, 'intra-Afghan negotiations should have taken place', and the current situation in Afghanistan should not be such that Afghan women and girls are deprived of all their fundamental rights. After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban took power in the country, but no country has officially recognized this government so far. During this time, the Taliban government has imposed severe restrictions on girls and women in various areas, including education, employment, movement, and public activity.