The threat of civil war was “very likely”, Mr. Mohib said to BBC correspondent, adding that Afghan government was now doing anything possible to “mitigate it”.
Fears over ‘civil war’ comes after the U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will pull his troops out of Afghanistan by Christmas.
Taliban recent deadly attacks, meanwhile, triggered U.S. forces to conduct airstrikes in support of government forces.
“Yes, the American help was critical in Helmand,” Security Adviser added. But, as to speculation that Taliban fighters will storm provincial capitals after U.S. planes stop their sorties, he emphasized that Afghan security forces “have been doing all the fighting” and making steady progress on other fronts, including the training of Afghanistan’s own pilots to man their own warplanes.
Following U.S. forces’ aerial attacks, there have been allegations that American troops had violated the terms of February’s peace deal.
Taliban Blames U.S. Forces for Violating Peace Agreement
The Taliban blamed U.S. forces for breaching the agreement it struck with Washington on late February, allegations that sparked denials.
“American forces have violated the Doha agreement in various forms by carrying out excessive air strikes following the new developments in Helmand province,” Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said in a statement on Sunday, warning of the consequences if such actions continued.
“Responsibility and consequences from continuation of such actions shall fall squarely on the shoulders of the American side,” the Taliban spokesman warned
U.S. Forces Reject Taliban Allegations
Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, rejected the Taliban allegations that their strikes [on Helmand and Farah] have violated February’s peace pact.
“We categorically reject the Taliban’s claim the United States has violated the U.S.-Taliban Agreement. U.S. airstrikes in Helmand and Farah have been and continue to be solely in defense of the ANDSF as they are being attacked by the Taliban,” tweeted Sonny Leggett.
The airstrikes are consistent with both the articles of U.S.-Taliban peace deal and a joint declaration of the Afghan government the United States, he added.
“The entire world has witnessed the Taliban’s offensive operations in Helmand – attacks which injured and displaced thousands of innocent Afghan civilians,” Mr. Leggett tweeted, and reaffirmed a call for “all sides” to reduce violence.
‘Unfounded’ Charges of Violations
The U.S. peace ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad denied Taliban allegations that U.S. forces have violated the peace agreement struck on February. He called the charges “unfounded”.
Instead of “unfounded charges of violations and inflammatory rhetoric” which prevent peace to be advanced, sides should “strictly” adhere to the articles of the agreement, said Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation.
He further said that violence remains “distressingly high” despite the recent reaffirmation of the need for reduction in hostilities.
The U.S. State Department’s special envoy added in a thread that continued high levels of violence in the country could threaten the Afghan peace process.
He urged warring parties to live up to their commitment to “gradually reduce violence”.
Mr. Khalilzad further said that Afghans have been “stalked” by violence for too long. The “tragedy” in Ghor, where the car bomb blew up near a police headquarters and claimed lives of more than a dozen and injured a hundred more can be a recent example.
“The belief that says violence must escalate to win concessions at the negotiating table is very risky,” Mr. Khalilzad said in a thread. “Such an approach can undermine the peace process and repeats past miscalculations by Afghan leaders,” he continued.
Intra-Afghan Peace Talks
Afghan and Taliban negotiators have been meeting in Doha since Sept. 12 and are still working out on procedures and related issues for the intra-Afghan talks aimed at ending Afghanistan’s longest war.
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