Doha Agreement Marks Six Years Amid Mutual Accusations
Six years ago, an agreement that changed Afghanistan’s political and security trajectory was signed between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the United States in Doha, Qatar.
The agreement was finalized after eighteen months of negotiations and was signed by a delegation of the Islamic Emirate led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a U.S. delegation headed by Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation.
The agreement focused on four key pillars:
Preventing the use of Afghan soil against any country, particularly U.S. allies in the region
The withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan
The start of intra-Afghan negotiations
The establishment of a permanent ceasefire
Sayed Ebadullah Sadeq, a political analyst, said: “The Doha Agreement was a document between the United States and the Islamic Emirate that guaranteed Afghan soil would not be used against any country, and the Islamic Emirate has remained committed to this obligation.”
The first official meeting between officials of the Islamic Emirate and the United States was held on October 12, 2018, in Doha. During the meeting, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and discussed ending the war, launching the peace process, and the withdrawal of foreign forces. Following that, the second, third, and fourth meetings were held in 2018 and 2019:
Second meeting: November 16, 2018, Doha, Qatar
Third meeting: December 17, 2018, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Fourth meeting: January 19, 2019, Doha, Qatar
Aziz Maarij, a former diplomat, said: “Before the signing of the agreement, numerous meetings were held between the United States and officials of the Islamic Emirate, during which the Islamic Emirate presented its proposals and positions, and finally the Doha Agreement was signed at the concluding meeting in 2019.”
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s embassy in Doha, described the sixth anniversary of the agreement as a historic achievement and said: “The Doha Agreement is a historic document and a great achievement for the Muslim people of Afghanistan; this agreement ended the occupation and paved the way for an Islamic uprising.”
The Doha Agreement enters its sixth year amid continued accusations by both the United States and the Islamic Emirate, each blaming the other for violating its terms.
