FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2020 file photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader sign a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar.
* The Taliban expects Joe Biden to abide by Trump's deal made in February to pull American troops out of Afghanistan by May 2021
* 'We signed the agreement with the American government, not a person,' Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban, said
* In the deal the Taliban agreed to counterterrorism guarantees and to negotiate a permanent ceasefire and a power-sharing formula with Afghan government
* Since the signing of the deal on February 29, the US military has shut several bases and pulled out thousands of troops as agreed * There are ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government in Doha, Qatar but there has been little progress
* Despite the peace talks, violence on the ground has only surged, with the Taliban stepping up daily attacks targeting Afghan security forces
The Taliban expects president-elect Joe Biden to abide by the deal signed with his predecessor Donald Trump to remove American troops from Afghanistan.
In February Trump's administration signed a deal with the Taliban to take American troops out of Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for several security guarantees and a commitment from the insurgents to stop trans-national jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State from operating in the country. '
We signed the agreement with the American government, not a person,' Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban, told AFP.
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Update #1: Taliban call on Biden to stick to U.S. troop withdrawal deal (Reuters)
WNU Editor: President Trump's push to get US forces out of Afghanistan came over the objections of many in the Kabul government and in Washington. And now he will be gone in 10 weeks. The Biden message is that a number of US forces will remain, which I predict will be a deal breaker for the Taliban.
