US and UK intelligence services set to monitor the Taliban 's 'no revenge promise ' - expert

A Security Studies academic at Birmingham City University has suggested the CIA and MI6 will now be monitoring the Taliban for breaches of their promise to not seek revenge on the Afghan people, following the Taliban 's return to power in Afghanistan.

Dr Lily Hamourtziadou (pictured), senior lecturer in Criminology and Security Studies at the university, said the CIA Director 's meeting with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar is reminiscent of the US ' programmes to arm the mujahideen in Afghanistan 40 years ago.

Dr Hamourtziadou said: “The news that CIA Director William J. Burns held a meeting in Kabul with the Taliban 's de facto leader Abdul Ghani Baradar is not surprising. Strategic alliances are common and this particular one is reminiscent of Operation Cyclone, the CIA program to arm and finance the mujahideen in Afghanistan 1979-1989, to fight against the Soviet Union.

“The mujahideen were also supported by Britain 's MI6, as part of a policy to aid militant Islamic groups that would help the West fight its Cold War enemies. It was from the mujahideen that the Taliban, a fundamentalist group, was formed in 1992, to rule the country for the next nine years.

“As foreign policy is always guided by interests, the US-Taliban Agreement signed on February 29, 2020 was essentially about guarantees and mechanisms through which the interests and security of the US and its allies would be protected. While all foreign forces are to withdraw, the Taliban agrees to 'prevent the use of the soil of Afghanistan by any group against the security of the United States and its allies. '

“The Taliban have reiterated that they will bring peace to the country and its long-suffering people, however they had promised the rule of law and the return to order before.

“Can they be trusted? The G7 have resolved to hold the Taliban accountable for their actions, so the challenges for US and UK intelligence are to monitor whether or not the Taliban honour their commitment to 'send a clear message that those who pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies have no place in Afghanistan, ' as well as their promise that 'there will be no revenge ' on the Afghan people. ”