Mark Wilson-Getty Images North America—AFP
U.S. president claims he cancelled a secret summit after the militants killed an American soldier in Kabul
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had called off a secret summit with the Taliban and Afghanistan’s leader, abruptly slamming the door on a year of diplomacy to end America’s longest war.
In a Saturday evening bombshell, Trump said that he had planned unprecedented, albeit separate, talks with the two sides on Sunday in Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, but that the Taliban’s persistent, grisly violence made them untrustworthy partners.
“Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday,” Trump said in a tweet. “Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great, great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations.” He added: “What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position? They didn’t, they only made it worse!”
A U.S. soldier and another service member from Romania were killed in the bombing on Thursday in Kabul—the latest major attack claimed by the Taliban even as they negotiated with a U.S. envoy on the withdrawal of thousands of troops.
Trump would have met the Taliban at Camp David days before the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, which triggered the U.S. invasion that toppled the militants’ regime.
Washington was jolted by the announcement from Trump, who is fond of dramatic gestures but whose Twitter pronouncements have often come into question later. “Why a lethal attack in Kabul on Thursday would be the reason for calling it off, considering the multiple recent Taliban attacks, is unclear,” said International Crisis Group’s Asia director Laurel Miller, who earlier served as the U.S. special representative on Afghanistan. Congressman Tom Malinowski, a Democrat who has been pressing for clarity on the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, called the idea of Taliban leaders at Camp David “weird.”
“But I’m glad the president called off this farce, and hope this good decision sticks,” Malinowski tweeted.
The announcement appears to abruptly end, at least for now, a painstaking diplomatic process led for nearly a year by Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born veteran U.S. diplomat who held nine rounds of talks with the Taliban, usually in Qatar. Khalilzad had earlier said that he had reached an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban.
According to parts of the draft deal made public, the Pentagon would pull about 5,000 of the roughly 13,000 U.S. troops from five bases across Afghanistan next year. The insurgents in turn would renounce Al Qaeda, promise to fight the Islamic State group and stop jihadists using Afghanistan as a safe haven.
Afghanistan’s internationally recognized president, Ashraf Ghani, had been outspoken in his criticism of the emerging shape of the withdrawal agreement with the Taliban, who have refused to negotiate with his government. “The Afghan government, in relation to the peace, appreciates the sincere efforts of its allies and is committed to working together with the United States and other allies to bring a lasting peace,” said a statement from Ghani’s office on Sunday in response to Trump’s announcement.
Trump’s announcement draws a fresh question mark on whether the United States will leave Afghanistan anytime soon. The decision comes weeks before Afghanistan is set to hold elections, an unwieldy exercise even in more stable times. The Afghan government said it “insists” the polls should go ahead in its statement on Sunday.
Trump had been uncharacteristically reticent about Afghanistan in recent weeks, with all eyes on whether he would approve a final deal. Washington had hoped that a withdrawal of U.S. troops would lead to peace negotiations between the Taliban and Kabul.
The Taliban have shown no signs of letting up on violence. Claiming responsibility for Thursday’s bombing in Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that a suicide bomber had killed “foreign invaders.”
“Since the Taliban were flexing muscles on the ground, Americans also showed them they have a say politically,” analyst Ahmad Saeedi said—adding that he expects talks to resume again.
Trump has walked away from high-stakes talks before. In February, his aides pressed him not to accept a deal in Hanoi with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un—another individual whom it would have long been unthinkable for a U.S. president to meet. But Trump soon made clear that he wanted to keep talking, calling Kim a friend, and arranged to meet him in June as the U.S. leader visited the Korean peninsula.