If that’s why the documents are being kept from the public, the secrecy is underhanded. The war in Afghanistan has cost the United States far too much in lives and treasure — 2,400 service members killed, $2 trillion spent — to be used for cheap political manipulation.

The deal has been broadly, if grimly, welcomed by a wide political spectrum at home, including this page. No, it is not a peace agreement — the Taliban did not agree to recognize the current Afghan government, which was not involved in the negotiations, nor to place any limits on their own military capabilities. There is nothing in the deal about the rights of women, elections, a constitution or the role of religion. At its core, the deal is a mechanism allowing American and allied troops to cut their losses in a war that has gone on too long and offers no prospect of a military victory.

But if Americans are ready to exit this war, they want to know that their government is at least leaving its Afghan allies a fighting chance against a ruthless Islamist organization. They want some assurance that the Trump administration has not simply given the Taliban license to break their pledges and restore their brutal dictatorship.

The agreement is already tottering. Peace talks are delayed, and Kabul is in chaos as two contenders for the presidency, the incumbent Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, each claim to have won the election and held competing inaugurations on Monday. According to reporting by Al Jazeera, there have been nearly 80 attacks in Afghanistan since the agreement was signed. All that may be beyond America’s ability to halt, and further proof of the wisdom of getting out.

But it’s incumbent on the United States to ensure that the Taliban meet their obligations under the agreement, including what the State Department described in a statement as “specific commitments by all parties to efforts to continue to reduce violence until a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire is agreed in intra-Afghan negotiations, while preserving the right of all parties to self-defense.” For that, the statement said, the United States has a “robust monitoring and verification mechanism.”