Russia Slams U.S. Violation of Afghan Peace Deal After American Jets Bombard Taliban Targets

Less than a week after American and Taliban delegations concluded a peace agreement in Doha, Qatar, on March 2nd, the United States has been accused of violating the agreement after carrying out massive airstrikes on Taliban forces. Among the loudest voices for these allegations was the Russian Foreign Ministry, with Moscow having strongly supported the peace process. The deal envisages a phased withdrawal of NATO personnel and the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners by 10 March. The U.S. military presence in Afghanistan is set to be cut down to 8,600 personnel in the next five months, while the Taliban have pledged to prevent terrorist organisations from using Afghan territory to stage attacks against the U.S. or allied states. This marked the first major breakthrough in the conflict in almost 20 years. The U.S. claimed its recent airstrikes were a defensive measure, in response to Taliban attacks on Afghan government soldiers and police officers which saw at least 20 killed. This Taliban attack was not technically a violation of the peace agreement, and targets did not include NATO personnel. It is unclear under which authority the airstrikes on Taliban targets were carried out.