U.S. proposes power-sharing plan to Afghan, Taliban leaders

Worried that Afghan peace talks are going nowhere, and facing a May 1 deadline for the possible withdrawal of all U.S. troops, the Biden administration has proposed sweeping plans for an interim power-sharing government between the Taliban and Afghan leaders, and stepped-up involvement by Afghanistan’s neighbors — including Iran — in the peace process.

Along with the proposal, shared with both sides over the past week by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that a U.S. departure remains under active consideration and could lead to “rapid territorial gains” by the Taliban.

“I am making this clear to you so that you understand the urgency of my tone,” Blinken wrote in a three-page letter to Ghani sent to coincide with the proposal.

Biden administration officials refused to confirm or deny the specifics of the interim plan or the Blinken letter. “As a general matter, we do not comment on alleged correspondence with foreign leaders,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The letter and the eight-page plan for an interim government were published Sunday by Afghanistan’s Tolo News.

A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive diplomacy, declined to speak “to particular documents people have been discussing in the context of diplomatic conversations that should remain private.”

But “it’s important for both sides to understand the urgency of the situation, both the Afghan government and the Taliban,” the official said. “We inherited a diplomatic process and an agreement” and are trying “to resolve these outstanding issues.”

 “Whether or not that’s possible is something that’s still being determined.”

The Afghan government had a blunt response to the leaked letter, stating that the United States cannot make decisions on behalf of the Afghan people.

Speaking at an event aired on local television Monday, Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said he is not “concerned about Blinken’s] letter” and it doesn’t change his administration’s position that only elected leadership can govern the country.

“We thank the U.S. for its support. They can make a decision on their troops, not on the people of Afghanistan,” Saleh said.

Ghani, who met with Khalilzad during a three-day visit to Kabul last week, on Saturday reiterated his opposition to any transfer of power except through elections but did not reject the interim notion outright.

Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, said the group had received a copy of the plan “that the media is talking about.”

“It is under discussion [and] after discussion, we will have a position on it,” he said.

The Taliban has expanded its attacks on Afghan troops and territorial control, amid an increasing number of strikes against civilians.

Many Afghan experts say they believe the militants are moving closer to a military victory but are reluctant to again become a pariah government, losing all international support and aid for Afghanistan.

At the top of the U.S. list of outstanding issues is whether to bring home the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan by May 1, a deadline set in an agreement signed by the Taliban and the Trump administration more than a year ago that led to rapid American downsizing.

The Pentagon has said that the Taliban has not complied with its commitments under the deal, including breaking its ties with al-Qaeda and reducing the level of violence. Start-and-stop Afghan-Taliban talks, called for in the agreement, began last September in Doha but have shown little progress.

The withdrawal decision is particularly difficult for President Biden, who opposed the expansion of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan as vice president and, like President Donald Trump, pledged during his campaign to end “endless wars,” including the 20-year Afghan conflict. Staying could lead to political difficulties at home and renewed Taliban attacks on U.S. forces. Leaving could undermine any achievements made in the past two decades and lead to a Taliban takeover.

Domestic pressure and advice have come from lawmakers and interested parties on both sides of the decision.

“I would expect some extension” of the U.S. presence, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the new chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters last month. He called a “pullout within several months” both “challenging” and “destabilizing.”

Others have called for Biden to quickly quit an unwinnable war. “Completely withdrawing our troops is sound policy, as American security interests do not require the continued presence of our troops in Afghanistan,” William Ruger, an Afghanistan veteran and fellow at the Washington-based Cato Institute, wrote in a recent opinion piece. Ruger’s nomination by Trump last fall as ambassador to Afghanistan expired when Trump left office.

Biden called for a review of Afghan policy, and Taliban compliance with the terms of the Trump deal, shortly after his inauguration.