Former military chief critical of Taliban peace deal that risks excluding Afghan people

General Nick Parker said the US troop withdrawal deal appeared to be ‘hasty’

Concerns have been raised about the US-Taliban peace deal. AP

A former British military chief, who served in Afghanistan, has expressed concerns the US-Taliban peace deal excludes key members of Afghan civil society.

General Nick Parker, a former commander of British troops in the country, called on the UK government to ensure representatives of the democratic movement in Afghanistan are part of the agreement. The general’s son Harry suffered severe battlefield injuries in the conflict.

On Saturday, the US government signed a deal with the Taliban that would see American troops withdraw from the country.

“We know that any conflict needs to have some sort of political solution at the end. But our concern is that this does appear to have been rather hasty and we don’t see the components such as Afghan civil society being fully recognised in the ongoing discussions,” Gen Parker told the BBC on Friday.

“We want to see something that represents a peaceful solution and respects the sacrifice that all of our people made to get to this point.”

More than 405 British service men and women have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion began in 2001.

Harry Parker was a young officer when he became one of 4,500 British service members to be seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan.

He added: “I think the fact the Americans have been able to get the Taliban to the table is a good thing. The key thing now is whatever is developed includes all the interested parties.”

The agreement between the US and the Taliban was negotiated in secret and excluded the people and the government of Afghanistan.

There are fears that the deal, which could involve the Afghan government power sharing with the Taliban, would come at the cost of progresses on women’s rights, freedom of speech and democracy.

Gen Parker was one of nine high profile British service personnel to sign a letter to The Times of London calling on the UK government to ensure hard-won freedoms are respected.

“We want peace in Afghanistan, not a hasty deal that leads to renewed violence. An inclusive approach backed by international support and conditions could ensure fundamental freedoms and security,” the letter read.

One of the conditions of the deal is that the Taliban want 5,000 of their captured prisoners to be released, which the Afghan government has not agreed to.

The concerns were raised before news broke of an attack on a political rally in Kabul on Friday, which has left at least 27 people dead.

The assault, which the Taliban has denied responsibility for, was the deadliest since the US withdrawal deal was signed.