By Robert Weiner and Kat Smith
The U.S. and the Taliban signed the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan in February 2020 to end the 20-year war between the two forces. The U.S. agreed to slowly remove military presence in the country, while the Taliban claimed that they would cut ties al-Qaeda.
Once the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, women's rights in the country began to diminish significantly. They have banned girls from attending school beyond the primary level. In 2017, over 100,000 girls were in university, while now they are barred from attending altogether.
Other women's restrictions are in place, such as not being allowed to travel further than 75 kilometers without a male chaperone, being excluded from political participation, harsh dress requirements, and not being permitted to work most jobs outside of their homes.
Kate Bateman, a senior specialist on Afghanistan for the United States Institute of Peace, says Ambassador Khalizad was pressured to rush the peace deal out of fear that the information could be prematurely leaked.
"So there was also a lot of volatility in the White House at the time and there was concern that President Trump would simply tweet that we were withdrawing all our forces."
In the peace deal, the U.S. did not include requirements such as better conditions for women in Afghanistan or even cutting down violence levels altogether. Former President Trump announced the deal, while President Biden followed through by removing any leftover military presence in Afghanistan. Trump initiated this deal with no support for Afghan women and girls and Biden chose to continue it.
"I wouldn't call it a peace deal or a peace agreement," Bateman says "It was an agreement, but it wasn't to bring peace."
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
