Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban might be derailed after the group took credit for killing a U.S. service member in Afghanistan, sources said.
“This scenario has shut down talks in the past,” a Pentagon official told the Washington Examiner. “It’s as far from good faith as you can get.”
The unnamed service member was killed in action on Monday, the Pentagon told the Washington Examiner, but did not confirm the circumstances. In a message to French journalists, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reportedly said insurgents “blew up an American vehicle in Char Dara district of Kunduz” late Sunday night.
In September, President Trump canceled talks after more than a year of meetings with Taliban officials following an attack that killed a U.S. soldier and 11 other people. Negotiators restarted peace talks earlier this month. Monday’s attack brings this year’s U.S. death toll to 20 troops — the deadliest year since the U.S. ended its combat mission in 2014.
The Pentagon acknowledged the service member’s death in a statement sent to the Washington Examiner but did not confirm the Taliban was responsible for the attack. The Pentagon referred the Washington Examiner to the State Department when asked how the incident might affect the new round of talks. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the event could throw the process into disarray, sources said.
“Even if the Taliban didn’t do this, the fact that they claim it is troubling,” the Pentagon official said. “You have to ask, why would they claim something that puts them in a bad light.”
Bill Roggio, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, was not surprised by the attack, despite the impact it may have on the talks.
“The Taliban has been very clear in its statements that it’s going to fight us until we leave, and they feel attacks like these basically just increase the pressure on the U.S. to get out,” Roggio told the Washington Examiner.
James Carafano, a foreign policy expert with the Heritage Foundation, said the attack might have been a flawed attempt by the Taliban to grab headlines and show the war is unwinnable.
“That’s an incredibly unlikely strategy,” Carafano told the Washington Examiner. “I think Americans are not really animated by the Afghanistan issue. The administration can continue to support Afghan operations, so it’s all just kind of conjecture.”
Roggio said he doesn’t believe the Taliban negotiators are acting honorably, and that the group will continue to do whatever it can to defeat the U.S.
“If they could get us to leave via a humiliating peace treaty, they’ll take that,” Roggio said. “If they could just get us to just pull up and leave, they’ll take that, too. Increasing U.S. casualties only helps.”
The Pentagon has not yet released the name of the soldier who died.
“A U.S. service member was killed in action today in Afghanistan,” U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “In accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the name of the service member killed in action is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete.”
