Inside the U.S. Military’s Historic Week in Afghanistan Ahead of a Taliban Deal by Dan Lamothe – Washington Post
… Afghan officials said violence was down about 80 percent nationwide. But the attacks prompted Army Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, to direct his staff to speak to Taliban leaders about restraining their fighters.
“The message that I passed is that if they can’t get that under control, we’re going to start shooting,” Miller said in a staff meeting, referring to the situation in Balkh. “That’s a very tough decision if we have the opportunity to end violence.”…
The behind-the-scenes moments, observed by The Washington Post, illustrate how U.S. military leaders are attempting to bring to a close the longest war in American history, ahead of the expected signing of a peace deal with the Taliban on Saturday.
For U.S. defense officials, the deal allows the United States to keep a foothold in Afghanistan depending upon the conditions on the ground, monitor whether the Taliban seeks peace and carry out strikes against the Islamic State militants, who are at war with the Taliban, too. It also could leave U.S. forces vulnerable to some casualties.
Some 2,400 U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001, and more than 20,000 wounded. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan found that more than 100,000 civilians have been killed and wounded there in the past decade…