Former US NSA calls Doha agreement 'big mistake'
Former National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton referred to the Doha agreement as the "biggest mistake" made by former US Prime Minister Donald Trump, saying that the Taliban had failed its commitments towards the Afghan people and that many foreign fighters had returned to Afghanistan.
Bolton, in an interview with TOLOnews, said, "I think history has proven that it was a terrible agreement. The objective the Taliban wanted was America, NATO, out of Afghanistan, everything else was secondary", as per Times of India.
He said that the Islamic Emirate had violated its commitments and that many foreign fighters had returned to Afghanistan.
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John Bolton characterised the Doha agreement as a terrible one and said that the Taliban wanted the United States and NATO out of Afghanistan, which they were able to do after seizing power on August 15 of last year.
He said that Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US envoy for peace in Afghanistan, did not contribute positively to the situation, instead he was "taking orders."
Bolton, Lambasting at the former US envoy for peace in Afghanistan, said, "Let's be clear, he was taking orders from President Trump and Secretary Pompeo, so whatever criticisms one makes about Zal's performance should be understood as criticising both what Trump and Pompeo were instructing."
"I very much fear our knowledge of efforts which have been made to launch terrorist attacks from Afghanistan is deeply incomplete and that the risk is high and if we were still there we would have a much better chance to detect these plans for terrorist attacks before they took place. Now we are not entirely blind, but we are certainly not in the position we were," said the Ex-NSA official.
Under the administration of former US President Donald Trump, the US and the Taliban signed the peace agreement in February 2020.
According to the agreement, US troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan and the Taliban would abate violence and ensure that its soil will not be a safe haven for the terrorists.
