INDIA is justified in its concern over the Trump administration’s moves to strike an accord with a known terrorist organisation Taliban to end the strife in battle-ravaged Afghanistan. The battle-fatigued United States is in a hurry to strike a deal with the Taliban, an established global terrorist organisation, enjoying patronage of the Pakistan Army and the ISI with a safe haven in that country.

 

It is an irony that for the last more than a decade, the US has been fighting the same Taliban after the 9/11 terror attacks on iconic American cities. However, since the advent of the Trump Administration, there appears a strange abdication of responsibility towards clearing the mess created during the war, with President Trump in a haste to withdraw from the scene as early as possible, even if that means making compromises with a sworn enemy like the Taliban. Given the urgency in the US moves for withdrawal, the Taliban appears to be dictating terms on settlement even while it continues to fight the official forces of Afghanistan Government and carry out terror attacks.