Top Republicans in the House are expressing concerns over the Trump administration’s deal with the Taliban, with lawmakers cautioning the insurgents won’t live up to their end of the bargain and arguing the agreement puts the country’s national security at risk.
The disagreement marks yet another area of foreign policy where President Trump’s usual allies in Congress are willing to break with the president and do so publicly.
Defense hawks, in particular, are concerned the agreement sets the stage for a full U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan within months, that thousands of Taliban prisoners could be released in the coming weeks and that enforcement mechanisms are being kept from the American public.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the No. 3 Republican in the lower chamber, has been among the most vocal critics. She has sounded alarms that the agreement lacks a disclosed verification mechanism and commitment from the Taliban to renounce al Qaeda.
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When Trump again tried to withdraw from Syria in October, the House overwhelmingly passed a resolution rebuking the move.
For the Afghanistan deal, one of the most controversial aspects is a stipulation for a prisoner swap before talks begin between the Taliban and Afghan government. The deal says up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and up to 1,000 Afghan government prisoners “will be released by March 10,” something Afghan President Ashraf Ghani quickly rejected.
“I share the concerns of President Ghani on the release of 5,000 trained terrorists,” Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who sits on both the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, told The Hill. “It’s just so dangerous and irresponsible, so I’m not in favor of the agreement.”
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Top Republicans sound the alarm on Trump administration’s deal with the Taliban https://t.co/qavIggvRCo pic.twitter.com/ZHPN9YXws4
— The Hill (@thehill) March 3, 2020
It’s very simple. If the Taliban has agreed to renounce al-Qaeda, then the Taliban will release a statement saying so and disavowing Ayman al-Zawahiri’s oath of allegiance to the Taliban’s emir. Absent that, and evidence of betrayals throughout Afghanistan, there is no break. https://t.co/L7EHgR1fbR
— Thomas Joscelyn (@thomasjoscelyn) March 4, 2020
So the Repubs are “concerned”? Maybe they should have done something about Trump a long time ago. Their “concern” is worth nothing.
From NYT senior Afghanistan correspondent. A "peace deal" without peace. https://t.co/Stg9YqlbPo
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) March 3, 2020
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