On Feb. 29, 2020, the Trump administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban that excluded the Afghanistan government. The Taliban got complete power. The agreement set the terms for complete withdrawal of American troops by May 2021.
From Nov. 17, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2021, then-President Trump lowered the troop level to 2,500. The lowest in 20 years. The deal included a prisoner swap, releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1,000 Afghan prisoners by March 10, 2020.
Trump released Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder of the Taliban who helped negotiate terms of surrender with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. The agreement lifted all sanctions.
Trump closed 10 airfields before leaving office, setting the stage for a chaotic evacuation. Trump’s surrender agreement forced Biden to withdraw or continue fighting an unwinnable war.
Trump bragged that his surrender agreement with the Taliban undermined Biden. Trump said “I started the process … They couldn’t stop the process.”
Deanne Danforth, Wilton
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