RASC News Agency: Shahgul Rezaei, a former member of Afghanistan’s Parliament, has condemned the Doha Agreement, arguing that it pushed Afghanistan into regression while delivering power directly into the hands of the Taliban. She described the deal as “a catastrophic reversal” for Afghanistan, one that devastated its people while empowering an extremist regime. “The Doha Agreement had three distinct outcomes: it granted the Taliban absolute power, tarnished America’s global reputation with a humiliating withdrawal, and plunged Afghanistan into an era of unprecedented decline,” Rezaei stated. According to her, Afghanistan now holds the shameful distinction of being the only country in the world where women are systematically denied the right to education, while power remains monopolized by an insular, extremist faction that is ideologically detached from the modern era. “The Taliban are a regressive, outdated force whose presence has never served Afghanistan’s interests and never will,” she added.
Signed on February 29, 2020, during former U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term, the Doha Agreement initially set the stage for a conditional withdrawal of American troops. However, the actual pullout took place under President Joe Biden in August 2021, triggering the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s government and the Taliban’s swift takeover. During his first 2024 election debate, Trump distanced himself from the agreement, declaring it “nullified.” On September 11, 2024, he remarked: “And just to set the record straight, they violated the deal. The agreement laid out clear conditions, but they failed to uphold their commitments. That’s why we canceled it.”
For the first time, a Taliban spokesperson publicly acknowledged that the Doha Agreement is now obsolete, affirming that the regime no longer abides by its terms and instead governs solely according to its own agenda. The Taliban’s return to power unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe, driving thousands of Afghanistanis into exile out of fear for their lives. The Doha Agreement, which was initially framed as a pathway to peace, ultimately paved the way for the Taliban’s resurgence, the systematic dismantling of human rights, and the forced displacement of countless Afghanistanis seeking refuge abroad.
Instead of bringing stability, the agreement became a historical turning point that condemned Afghanistan to a future defined by oppression, economic collapse, and international isolation.