Pentagon criticizes Taliban for failing to meet commitments

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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UPDATED 8:54 AM PT – Friday, January 29, 2021

The Pentagon has warned the U.S. may not be able to de-escalate troop presence in Afghanistan.

As I said at the briefing today, the US supports the Afghan peace process and no decision has been made on future force posture.

— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) January 29, 2021

In a press briefing on Thursday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. will not commit to the withdrawal promised in the U.S.-Taliban peace deal that was signed back in February 2020. He cited the Taliban’s refusal to honor its commitments to stop violence in the region.

“I said the Taliban are not meeting their commitments to reduce violence and renounce their ties to al Qaeda,” Kirby stated. “They are not meeting their commitments and as long as they are not meeting their commitments, it is going to be difficult for anybody at that negotiating table to meet their commitments.”

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has yet to make a decision regarding future troop levels.

We are still committed to ending this war, but we are going to do it in lockstep with the diplomatic process to try to find a negotiated settlement,” Kirby  continued. “I am not trying to recast that.”

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