Rather than depend upon either right- or leftwing reports, I went and found the actual agreement.
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/up...nging-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf. And yes, Biden has had access to this written agreement, minus details of the negotiations and communications that led up to the agreement.
Paragraph 3 of the preamble says "the Taliban will start intra-Afghan negotiations with Afghan sides on March 10, 2020." Apparently, "Afghan sides" means the former secular government there. I don't know whether these negotiations ever took place, but on March 10, 2020, Trump was still in power. Therefore, if the Taliban breached its promise to negotiate, it was up to Trump to call them on it.
Paragraph 4 says, in part: "A permanent and comprehensive ceasefire will be an item on the agenda of the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations." "Dialogue and negotiations" doesn't require the Taliban to agree to anything. This is not a great agreement. Did the Taliban ever attempt to negotiate? Nothing within this agreement says the Taliban must
agree to anything with the former Afghan government.
Two paragraphs further down, it says: "The obligations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban in this agreement apply in areas under their control
until the formation of the new post-settlement Afghan Islamic government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations." Trump agreed that the new government of Afghanistan would be an Islamic State!
The first paragraph of Part One says: "The United States is committed to withdraw from Afghanistan all military forces of the United States, its allies, and Coalition partners, including all non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting services personnel within fourteen (14) months following announcement of this agreement..." The agreement repeatedly specifies US withdrawal--unlike the "dialogue and negotiations" that were to be conducted.
Part I, Par. F. says the US "...will refrain from the threat or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan
or intervening in its domestic affairs."
Part 3, Par. 3 says: "The United States will seek economic cooperation for reconstruction with
the new post- settlement Afghan Islamic government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations, and will not intervene in its internal affairs."
Conclusion: I can't find any "conditions" the Taliban breached. The agreement never says that the Taliban would stop fighting and trying to overthrow the former Afghan government. The agreement never says--and in fact forbids--US intervention in the negotiations or formation of a new ISLAMIC government. An Islamic State is what the Taliban wanted, and what the US agreed to allow.
Jim
