Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that secret addendums to the peace agreement with the Taliban signed in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 29 address violence reduction, reversing prior statements.
“There are also two implementing arrangements that are not available to the public that address things such as the Taliban’s counterterrorism commitments and the withdrawal of forces,” Esper said at a press conference Thursday when pressed about reductions of violence not being mentioned in the four-page public document signed between the United States and the Taliban that has been hailed as a pathway to peace in Afghanistan.
“I may be mistaken, but as I recall, the agreement says once signed, we would begin a continued reduction of violence that will continue downward, and as part of the intra-Afghan negotiations, we would move toward a comprehensive cease-fire across the country,” he said.
“At the same time, part of the agreement states that we always have the right of self-defense and to defend our Afghan partners, which we’ve done in the last couple of days and we’ll continue to do,” Esper added, referencing an early morning drone strike yesterday against Taliban forces that were attacking an Afghan military checkpoint.
Just a week ago, when questioned in the House Armed Services Committee by Republican Rep. Liz Cheney about the existence of “any secret side deals with the Taliban,” Esper denied that any existed.
“Nothing — nothing comes to mind right now that you’re mentioning,” he said, acknowledging there were annexes in addition to the base agreement.
Cheney insisted that any agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban should be made public “in its entirety” before asking Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to address reports that the secret annexes mentioned counterterrorism cooperation with the Taliban.
“You’re quoting things that I haven’t seen, so as the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, I will take a rigorous look at whatever annexes are out there,” Milley responded. “I am not aware of anything that you just described.”
