It's part of a deal signed between the Trump administration on the Taliban in February last year, according to which it's been agreed that all foreign forces will leave of Afghanistan this spring.

Peace talks are taking place between the Afghan government on the Taliban, but it's unclear if and when they might result in a resolution.

All this comes against the backdrop of a significant surge in violence.

Dozens of Afghans are being killed every day.

The conflict has resulted in acute poverty on hunger.

There are fears that once all international forces leave, the Taliban might be back in power in the country.

I met Afghanistan's vice president Umbrella Sally On began by asking him if this was the right time for US troops to be leaving.

We believe the mission is not accomplished, but if they decide to leave, we respect their decision.

But you wouldn't be asking for them to stay.

Not necessarily.

We would ask them to respect their agreements with us.

They have signed strategic partnership agreement with us and they have signed bilateral security agreement with us.

Based on that, they have to give a notice to the Afghan government.

Onda work with the Afghan government on proper on disciplined exit.

What do you mean?

When you say that they're leaving before accomplishing the objectives they set out.

Taliban have not separated themselves from Al Qaeda even after the U.

S Unwise signed an agreement with them in Doha months later, with assistance off us together with them, we killed one Al Qaeda leader in Grozny.

He was inside a Taliban command compound.

We call to Al Qaeda members both on the blacklist off the CIA in Helmand.

They were again embedded with the Taliban, which means without putting a proper counterterrorism verification mechanism, just accepting the verbal assurance off the Taliban that they won't be with the global terror networks.

It will be a mistake.

That's one.

Secondly, the question is not the faith off Afghanistan.

The question is the fate, reputation and standing off the Western civilization.

They came to assessed a small country, uh, to prevail against terrorism against radicalism on Al Qaeda affiliates.

They should ask themselves the question.

What was the mission?

Is that accomplished both if we put a common checklist, the mission is not accomplished.

But even as you say that the Taliban has links to Al Qaeda, your government is also speaking to them right now in Doha, right?

We are not taking it as easy as the U.

S.

Negotiating team.

That's why the Taliban hate us because we fly in there, face hard evidence off where they are working with global terrorist networks, where they are siding with regional terrorist networks where they have drag factories and how they are lying to the Afghan people and to the world.

We say sovereignity belongs to the people is vested in the public and it is expressed through elections.

Taliban say severity belongs to God and God Entrusts is to the most pious person.

If you decode their message, they are pursuing a clerical dictatorship.

So agreeing with Taliban is agreeing to installation off a clerical dictatorship.

No one can impose us on us No one, where or without the world, we will not sell our souls, we will resist.

But in Afghanistan there has been a massive investment off the whole world.

It's not just material investment, it's emotional investment.

It's political investment.

It's reputational investment.

Why shall we sacrifice it to appease a terrorist group?

Our aim to talk to the Taliban is to offer them a chance of becoming mainstream on leave violence.

But we are not providing them easy terms as the U.

S negotiators had offered them.

No.

So you think the U.

S.

Has made a mistake by trusting the Taliban?

I think the way they conducted the talks with the Taliban the outreach itself was not a mistake.

But the the massive concession so far given to them was a mistake.

The U.

S delegation came to us.

They swore toe every holy Scripture that if you release these 5000 people based on these assurances, there will be no violence.

But the Taliban, In order to protect their prestige with their fighters, they will not announce it.

We told them at the highest level that this is our intelligence and it indicates otherwise.

If we do this, violence will spike.

Violence has spiked.

Why did we give that concession in return for absolutely nothing?

What would you like to say to them?

We want the United States to define its interest.

What is the interest off the United States.

We will respect that definition.

We are begging no one.

We are thankful to everyone for their assistance.

But we are begging to know how worried do you think a global power should be about the threat of Al Qaeda?

Very deeply?

Very deeply.

If they would drop prematurely, they can put any title on their withdrawal and exit.

But there is also a title that the terror groups will put on there of a draw, defeat, surrender and escape.

It's up to them to choose.

If we prevail and we have a settlement, that's one thing.

But if we don't have a settlement on they leave, the other side will call it defeat.

How strong are Al Qaeda in the country today?

About their strength?

It's about their quality.

Al Qaeda did not send a 17 battalions to United States.

The extent 17 bombers.

So I think it za quality off Al Qaeda presence.

It's those a small cells which are allowed to operate train, have a breathing space, have a territory that they are still embedded with the Taliban.

What are the status of the peace talks between you and the Taliban?

Are you really hopeful that there will be a power sharing agreement at the end of it?

What is their status off the talks?

The Taliban completely Miss Andras misinterpret their agreement with the Americans.

They think the world has two superpowers.

Washington and the Taliban.

That is how these talks with us is interpreted by the Taliban.

So bringing them back from the sky to the earth and telling them you are a group takes time plus Taliban mhm at best when polls have been conducted secretly, half secretly or openly, have never enjoyed more than 10% popularity and acceptance in Afghan society south, east, west or north.

And that should be taken into consideration when we negotiate with them.

That's what we are telling them.

We say, Why are you afraid off election If the population accepts you?

What?

Why you are fearing?

US.

President Joe Biden has, uh, during his campaign, maintained that he would like to leave some U.

S.

Presence here, in his words, several 1000 people.

A counterterrorism force.

The deal that the Trump agree Trump Administration made with the Taliban was that all U.

S.

Forces withdraw by spring this year.

What would you like to see happen?

My offer.

You know my invitation.

Whatever you call it from the U.

S.

Is they define their security interests and share it with us.

If they think sharing it with us again will serve their national interests and security interests, we are no one to tell them what their national what their security interest is.

CIA as the most powerful intelligence agency in the whole world, they no Taliban are an Afghan brand off Al Qaeda.

I don't put this word in their mouth.

If they make a crew deal with Al Qaeda, that XYZ, they're thinking I can't to stop it.

But I am telling them as a friend, um, as an ally, trusting the Taliban without putting a verification mechanism is going to be a fatal mistake.

So what kind of verification process do you think you will see from the talks that you're holding with the Taliban?

Because you are also talking to them at a time when you're saying they're continuing violence, right?

But we are calling a spade a spade.

We are not giving a nice fake title to the Taliban.

We say you are terrorists, but you are a reality.

We would like to find a solution through talks.

If you were to reach some sort of agreement with them, do you expect foreign countries like, say, the UK to then treat the Taliban like any other normal political group in any other country?

We have one golden line on one golden condition in our negotiations elections that is that you be allowed to hold elections in the country if Taliban went through elections on If the Afghan people pretty far some Taliban leader than myself, I will respect that decision.

But I will not sacrifice that right off the Afghan people in the negotiations.

Why has Afghanistan struggled so hard to find peace?

Well, it's our location off all the things.

That's our location.

It Zaveri Good location.

But it's also frontier off.

Big powers on We are never left by ourselves were never left alone.