U.S. and Taliban negotiators signed a historic agreement that could end 19 years of war in Afghanistan and allow President Trump to begin the promised withdrawal of American troops.
WASHINGTON – U.S. and Taliban negotiators signed an historic agreement Saturday in Qatar that could end 19 years of war in Afghanistan and allow President Donald Trump to begin the promised withdrawal of American troops.
Under the new agreement, the United States will begin a phased withdrawal from Afghanistan, drawing down to 8,600 troops from 13,000. In exchange, the Taliban agreed to sever its ties with al Qaeda, the terrorist group that launched the Sept. 11 attacks against the U.S. "However, should the Taliban fail to honor their commitments, they will forfeit their chance to sit with fellow Afghans and deliberate on the future of their country. Moreover, the United States would not hesitate to nullify the agreement," Esper said in prepared remarks.
The announcement comes with caveats. In September, negotiators hailed a breakthrough in talks only to see hope for peace dissipate and violence continue. A withdrawal of American troops also would likely take several months. The reduction in violence is supposed to continue as the intra-Afghan talks proceed, and the U.S. is hoping to secure a complete cease-fire in Afghanistan as one of the first elements of those talks.signing the deal, arguing that the Taliban is a terrorist group that cannot be trusted to live up to any commitments.
The senior administration official said the only reason the two sides are at the table is because"all sides recognize there's no military solution to the conflict."
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