WION Edit: Is the US-Taliban peace deal on fragile footing?
Taliban leaders
The US-Taliban peace deal is on a fragile footing. Violence, differences between the parties and the divisions between politicians could make the deal worthless.
Earlier this week, when the reports of the violence in Helmand trickled in, a spokesperson for the US forces in Afghanistan blamed the Taliban for breaking the promise to maintain peace in Afghanistan.
The Taliban ramped up violence against the Afghan Security forces, despite US President Donald Trump's calls for peace.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stakes claim to the Presidency, but his challenger Abdullah Abdullah has rejected the election results.
On the other side, the Taliban doesn't even recognise the legitimacy of the Afghan government. These differences make peace negotiations more tricky.
As the events are playing out on the ground, it looks like the US still has a long way to gobefore it can exit the Afghanistan quagmire. There are many hurdles in this path to peace.
The agreement did not include the Afghanistan government ledby Ashraf Ghani. At the same time, the United States gave the Taliban an upper hand by conducting a one-way negotiation.
The ambiguity in the agreement does not help, if the parties involved want to ensure peace in Afghanistan - a lot of it depends on the difficult negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
The US-Taliban agreement seems to be clear on one thing - troop withdrawal, a promise that was central to Donald Trump's election campaign.
The US has agreed to reduce its troops from around 12 thousand to 8,600 in 135 days. If the Taliban follows through on its promises - all troops of America and its allies will leave Afghanistan within fourteen months.
Amid the chaos, the question now is whether Donald Trump will prioritise the withdrawal of American troops before everything else.
An exit without a deal could lead to an escalation in fighting - some experts even claim that it will lead to a new civil war.
The Taliban reportedly controls well over 50 per cent of Afghanistan and they could potentially seize control of Afghanistan if America just walks away.
Any potential peace deal would include a comprehensive ceasefire without it, the fighting will spiral out of control. The Trump administration should resist the urge for an urgent withdrawal.
Otherwise, its historic peace deal with the Taliban will fail to end the war in Afghanistan.
(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)