Over 40 retired generals and admirals write to the President to list what will make the difference between a strong and effective Afghan deal, and a weak and symbolic one that doesn't.
As career national security professionals who have long supported a diplomatic resolution to the war in Afghanistan, we write to congratulate you on the news that an agreement with the Taliban has been reached after nine rounds of intensive talks. Your administration deserves credit for opening a direct dialogue with the insurgent movement as the first step toward a peaceful settlement to the conflict.
As you deliberate with your advisers on whether to approve the draft agreement with the Taliban, we respectfully urge you to consider the following points before finalizing the document with your signature. Just as earlier this year in Hanoi you rightly walked away from the negotiations with North Korea, so too we urge you to consider walking away from this agreement if key points are not included.
The Taliban have said they intend to continue the war with the Afghan security forces who will remain responsible for fighting ISIS as well as the Taliban. Whatever U.S. military withdrawal occurs initially, we must retain the capability to support Afghanistan forces with air power while peace negotiations and the war go on.
While Afghans will ultimately be responsible for the political future of their country, the United States can help preserve momentum for intra-Afghan negotiations by maintaining a small U.S. troop presence as discussions proceed.
Taliban commitments to sever their relationship with Al-Qaeda and prevent terrorist organizations from using Afghanistan to conduct attacks on the United States and its interests should not be taken for granted. We welcome
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