1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,033 JUDY WOODRUFF: And now to Afghanistan, where the U.S. presence is now 20 years old. 2 00:00:06,966 --> 00:00:09,533 Last year, the Trump administration signed a deal with the Taliban that 3 00:00:09,533 --> 00:00:14,533 would have the U.S. and NATO troops out of the country by May 1. Peace talks between 4 00:00:16,533 --> 00:00:20,233 the Taliban and the Afghan government are now stalled, and violence remains high. 5 00:00:22,700 --> 00:00:25,900 As special correspondent Jane Ferguson and producer and cinematographer Emily Kassie tell us, 6 00:00:28,366 --> 00:00:32,233 as part of a series of reports, however the Biden White House deals with America's longest war, 7 00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:37,566 one thing is sure. The Taliban think they have already won. 8 00:00:37,566 --> 00:00:42,533 JANE FERGUSON: Taliban fighters roam freely in the Tangi Valley, 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,633 on the border between restive Logar and Wardak provinces. 10 00:00:47,666 --> 00:00:50,600 The winding roads are just a couple of hours' drive South from the Afghan capital, 11 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:55,566 but this is Taliban territory and has been since the Americans left the valley years ago. 12 00:00:57,466 --> 00:01:01,066 Now these men anticipate the final phase of their departure across the country. 13 00:01:01,066 --> 00:01:06,066 MAWLAWI TAWQUL, Taliban Commander (through translator): 14 00:01:08,033 --> 00:01:10,833 The new president of America must take all his forces out of Afghanistan. He should respect 15 00:01:10,833 --> 00:01:15,833 the agreement that has been made. If they don't leave, we are ready to carry on. The mujahideen 16 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,666 is not tired of war. Joe Biden should take all their forces out and leave us in peace. 17 00:01:20,666 --> 00:01:25,300 JANE FERGUSON: It has been over a year since we last traveled into rural Afghanistan to meet 18 00:01:25,300 --> 00:01:30,300 with the Taliban. We came back to find out how the deal with the U.S. is playing out, 19 00:01:31,500 --> 00:01:33,600 after 20 years at war with America. 20 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,833 They came and met us. Now they're just leading us in this way. They actually greeted us with 21 00:01:39,833 --> 00:01:43,166 gunfire. That's to send a message to the area that the guests have arrived. 22 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,900 Morale here is high. We found local commanders relaxed, 23 00:01:47,900 --> 00:01:52,866 jubilant even, and with a clear message for President Biden. 24 00:01:54,966 --> 00:01:57,733 MAWLAWI TAWQUL (through translator): There is no difference overall between Trump and Biden. 25 00:01:57,733 --> 00:02:02,100 They are both Americans, and so we see them as infidels. Trump was trying to get something done 26 00:02:02,100 --> 00:02:07,100 quickly and get the forces out. Joe Biden has to do the same thing. He must respect the deal. 27 00:02:09,100 --> 00:02:12,333 JANE FERGUSON: That deal promises every last American and NATO soldier will be out 28 00:02:12,333 --> 00:02:17,333 of Afghanistan by May 1, in exchange for the Taliban agreeing to break ties with al-Qaida 29 00:02:19,266 --> 00:02:23,133 and negotiate a peace deal with the Kabul government, led by President Ashraf Ghani. 30 00:02:23,133 --> 00:02:26,033 In reality, they have been peace talks only in name, 31 00:02:28,033 --> 00:02:31,133 with the Taliban increasing its attacks on government forces since signing with Trump's team 32 00:02:31,133 --> 00:02:35,866 one year ago. These men don't seem to be taking those negotiations seriously. 33 00:02:35,866 --> 00:02:40,266 MAWLAWI TAWQUL (through translator): We all know Ashraf Ghani and his whole government 34 00:02:40,266 --> 00:02:43,366 were brought here by the Americans, and they follow the orders of the 35 00:02:43,366 --> 00:02:47,466 Americans. After the Americans leave, they cannot do anything. They cannot carry on. 36 00:02:48,666 --> 00:02:50,366 Our leaders have already said there will be no 37 00:02:50,366 --> 00:02:52,933 more fighting, and they will bring an Islamic system of government. 38 00:02:52,933 --> 00:02:56,466 JANE FERGUSON: The Taliban insist on calling any future 39 00:02:56,466 --> 00:02:59,100 government of Afghanistan the Islamic Emirate, 40 00:02:59,100 --> 00:03:04,066 the same name as the regime they led here in the late 1990s, before being toppled by the U.S. 41 00:03:06,633 --> 00:03:09,166 after 9/11. These men see their leaders as ready to simply take over, with no room for compromise. 42 00:03:11,166 --> 00:03:15,066 MAWLAWI TAWQUL (through translator): The rest of the world should treat us 43 00:03:15,066 --> 00:03:18,500 as a government. The emirate is alive now, but once it comes to full power, 44 00:03:18,500 --> 00:03:22,733 everyone will accept and respect it. They will treat us the same as any other country. 45 00:03:22,733 --> 00:03:26,833 JANE FERGUSON: Taliban leadership says it wants Ghani to step down, 46 00:03:26,833 --> 00:03:31,133 but he and his vice president have vowed to continue to the end of his term. 47 00:03:31,133 --> 00:03:32,833 Would you support that if it meant peace? 48 00:03:32,833 --> 00:03:33,333 AMRULLAH SALEH, Afghani First Vice President: No, no. 49 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,866 The only thing I support will be an election. I prefer to... 50 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,066 JANE FERGUSON: Well, that would be... 51 00:03:42,066 --> 00:03:45,833 AMRULLAH SALEH: I prefer to die with 100 bullets in my chest, but not compromise 52 00:03:48,333 --> 00:03:51,433 the value of elections. That's why we fought. 53 00:03:51,433 --> 00:03:56,133 JANE FERGUSON: Not everyone in the Kabul government can agree on this issue. 54 00:03:56,133 --> 00:04:00,600 Dr. Abdullah Abdulllah, who served until last March as Afghan chief executive, 55 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,933 below Ghani, oversees the negotiations for the government. 56 00:04:03,933 --> 00:04:07,933 He ran against Ghani in two highly contested presidential elections. 57 00:04:07,933 --> 00:04:11,633 ABDULLAH ABDULLAH, Former Afghan Chief Executive: Finishing term shouldn't be a priority if it is 58 00:04:11,633 --> 00:04:16,633 balanced against peace, durable, dignified peace, acceptable for the people of Afghanistan. 59 00:04:21,066 --> 00:04:26,066 And I am sure, while President Ghani today has responsibilities as the president of 60 00:04:27,766 --> 00:04:31,466 the government to perform, lead the government and the state, 61 00:04:32,666 --> 00:04:36,333 at the same time, if he sees there is a solution 62 00:04:36,333 --> 00:04:41,333 that is acceptable for the people of Afghanistan, finishing the term might not be a priority. 63 00:04:43,300 --> 00:04:46,433 JANE FERGUSON: There is growing concern that the Taliban have no interest in peace at all, 64 00:04:46,433 --> 00:04:51,300 that they may be simply going through the motions to help America save face as it departs, 65 00:04:51,300 --> 00:04:54,900 and could still decide they can topple the government when the U.S. leaves. 66 00:04:54,900 --> 00:04:59,900 ABDULLAH ABDULLAH: My biggest concerns will be that, if Taliban calculation, or calculus, 67 00:05:02,500 --> 00:05:06,300 is based on the fact that, OK, we participate in the negotiations, without making compromise, and 68 00:05:10,566 --> 00:05:15,566 continue the talks, get the rest of our prisoners released, and then, by such a time, the 69 00:05:18,100 --> 00:05:22,566 time for the presence of the U.S. troops will expire, according to the agreement that they have. 70 00:05:22,566 --> 00:05:25,633 And then, beyond that, then they will have the 71 00:05:25,633 --> 00:05:28,566 upper hand militarily, and then they will do whatever they want. 72 00:05:28,566 --> 00:05:33,233 JANE FERGUSON: President Biden has inherited not only America's longest ever war, 73 00:05:33,233 --> 00:05:38,233 one it has largely lost, but also a peace deal of President Trump's making. 74 00:05:40,300 --> 00:05:43,333 It offers little beyond promises that the Taliban will not allow al-Qaida once more to find safe 75 00:05:45,366 --> 00:05:49,266 haven in Afghanistan. That's a promise the Pentagon says they are already breaking. 76 00:05:50,333 --> 00:05:52,366 Biden Pentagon spokesman John Kirby: 77 00:05:52,366 --> 00:05:54,900 JOHN KIRBY, Pentagon Press Secretary: Without them meeting their commitments to 78 00:05:54,900 --> 00:05:59,266 renounce terrorism and to stop the violent attacks on the Afghan national security forces and, 79 00:06:03,233 --> 00:06:06,500 by dint of that, the Afghan people, it's very hard to see 80 00:06:09,066 --> 00:06:11,633 a specific way forward for the negotiated settlement. 81 00:06:11,633 --> 00:06:14,233 JANE FERGUSON: If they don't honor the settlement to leave, 82 00:06:14,233 --> 00:06:19,033 the Taliban have vowed to continue to fight, and the Afghan security forces would struggle to hold 83 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,366 onto cities without American air support, drawing the U.S. further back into the war. 84 00:06:25,866 --> 00:06:28,566 QARI KHALED, Taliban Commander (through translator): Absolutely, 85 00:06:28,566 --> 00:06:33,566 if the agreement is not implemented, we will await the orders from our seniors to fight. 86 00:06:35,466 --> 00:06:38,666 MAWLAWI TAWQUL (through translator): We are not tired. The mujahideen don't get tired. 87 00:06:38,666 --> 00:06:40,833 Remember, Trump himself said something like, 88 00:06:40,833 --> 00:06:43,300 these fighters are going to war like it's a football match. 89 00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:48,300 JANE FERGUSON: While these power plays continue and all sides jostle for their own interests, 90 00:06:50,733 --> 00:06:53,666 ordinary Afghans are desperately hoping for peace. There are few places as war-weary and ravaged as 91 00:06:55,666 --> 00:07:00,433 Afghanistan. The conflict these people have experienced, 42 brutal years of bloodshed, 92 00:07:02,866 --> 00:07:06,633 through Soviet invasion, civil war, and American invasion, dwarfs even America's longest ever war. 93 00:07:08,633 --> 00:07:13,100 It has robbed generations of their loved ones and made poverty an enduring curse. 94 00:07:15,533 --> 00:07:18,366 As you walk around these Taliban-controlled villages and really rural areas of Afghanistan, 95 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:24,866 it is striking to think of how many billions of dollars of aid money has been poured into 96 00:07:26,433 --> 00:07:30,033 this country, and how little of it made it into villages like this. 97 00:07:30,033 --> 00:07:35,033 In one village we met Salim, our Taliban minders waiting outside while we, two women, 98 00:07:36,500 --> 00:07:39,133 were permitted entry. He told us he worked his whole life in the 99 00:07:39,133 --> 00:07:41,866 Persian Gulf city of Abu Dhabi to afford to build this house. 100 00:07:43,866 --> 00:07:47,066 Now he stands in front of it, pleading with us, rare foreign visitors, for peace. 101 00:07:47,066 --> 00:07:51,233 SALIM, Afghanistan (through translator): 102 00:07:51,233 --> 00:07:56,033 Mr. Joe Biden, we want the war to be over and the Americans to leave from here. 103 00:07:56,033 --> 00:07:59,233 America is good, but they need to go back to America. 104 00:07:59,233 --> 00:08:04,166 JANE FERGUSON: I asked him in Arabic what he wants for his family's future. 105 00:08:04,166 --> 00:08:08,666 SALIM (through translator): School. 106 00:08:11,633 --> 00:08:15,933 This is my daughter. And this is my daughter. I want them to go to school. 107 00:08:15,933 --> 00:08:20,833 JANE FERGUSON: But the Afghanistan his daughters inherit may not meet his hopes. 108 00:08:20,833 --> 00:08:25,066 The Taliban have recently made overtures about respecting women's rights, 109 00:08:25,066 --> 00:08:29,533 conscious of their infamy for the appalling repression of women when they ruled this country. 110 00:08:31,500 --> 00:08:34,133 But in these areas, it seems clear that little has changed in their attitudes. 111 00:08:34,133 --> 00:08:39,100 MAWLAWI TAWQUL (through translator): The current situation with women in Kabul is bad. We will not 112 00:08:41,033 --> 00:08:44,433 accept this. We will only permit them to have whatever rights are specified in the Koran. 113 00:08:44,433 --> 00:08:49,433 JANE FERGUSON: We saw no women in the street anywhere in Taliban-controlled areas, and the few 114 00:08:51,966 --> 00:08:54,933 we saw at all, in the local health clinic, were being carefully watched. We weren't permitted to 115 00:08:56,866 --> 00:09:00,333 talk to them on camera. Getting insight into their lives remains frustratingly difficult. 116 00:09:02,366 --> 00:09:06,533 Meanwhile, in a nearby bazaar, men jostle to talk with us, crowding around. There is much 117 00:09:08,500 --> 00:09:12,533 discussion as to whether the wider regional rivalries will spoil this moment of potential. 118 00:09:13,466 --> 00:09:14,566 Do you feel like peace is coming? 119 00:09:14,566 --> 00:09:16,333 MAN: Yes, yes. Maybe. 120 00:09:16,333 --> 00:09:17,766 JANE FERGUSON: Maybe? 121 00:09:17,766 --> 00:09:22,766 MAN: Yes, but I'm not absolutely certain. 122 00:09:24,666 --> 00:09:28,333 JANE FERGUSON: What do -- what is the danger for peace? What do you worry about? 123 00:09:30,333 --> 00:09:35,066 MAN: Especially Pakistan don't want peace in our country, Afghanistan, some -- and other 124 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:41,333 countries like Iran, Russia, and they don't want to come peace in our country. 125 00:09:42,666 --> 00:09:43,900 JANE FERGUSON: So, the problem is outside countries? 126 00:09:43,900 --> 00:09:46,500 MAN: Yes. 127 00:09:46,500 --> 00:09:49,266 JANE FERGUSON: As the Talibs gather to eat lunch and discuss the news of the day, reports in the 128 00:09:51,333 --> 00:09:54,633 form of voice-mails come in on the phone, this one apparently from a commander in Kabul City 129 00:09:57,133 --> 00:10:01,700 dismissing the vice president's new policy of increasing security cameras in the capital. 130 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:07,266 There is a feeling here amongst the fighters not of coming compromise and serious negotiations, 131 00:10:08,900 --> 00:10:11,466 but one of triumph, of the spoils of victory surely to come soon. 132 00:10:13,500 --> 00:10:17,266 This attitude is in part informed by that Trump agreement, in many ways a win-win for them. 133 00:10:19,233 --> 00:10:23,066 President Biden's next move on that deal will impact the people of this country 134 00:10:23,066 --> 00:10:28,066 for a generation to come. With a delicate balancing act of pressure and diplomacy, 135 00:10:30,100 --> 00:10:33,100 he will have the fate of tens of millions of Afghans in his hands in the coming critical weeks. 136 00:10:35,133 --> 00:10:39,433 For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jane Ferguson in the Tangi Valley, Afghanistan. 137 00:10:41,433 --> 00:10:44,766 JUDY WOODRUFF: And, tomorrow night, Jane looks into a terrifying and methodical 138 00:10:46,666 --> 00:10:50,933 campaign of assassinations in Kabul, the Afghan capital, targeting politicians, 139 00:10:52,633 --> 00:10:57,100 civil society and the public that has shaken the city to its core.