FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL
U.S.-Taliban Peace Deal: What to Know
The United States and the Taliban signed an agreement aimed at ending the eighteen-year war in Afghanistan, but many factors could still disrupt the peace process.
After a week-long deal to reduce violence across
Afghanistan, the U.S. and the
Taliban signed a historic agreement Saturday that would see U.S. troops start to withdraw, according to a statement issued Friday afternoon by President
Donald Trump.
ABC NEWS
"Soon, at my direction, Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo will witness the signing of an agreement with representatives of the Taliban, while Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan. If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," Trump said.
After a week-long deal to reduce violence across
Afghanistan, the U.S. and the
Taliban signed a historic agreement Saturday that would see U.S. troops start to withdraw, according to a statement issued Friday afternoon by President
Donald Trump.
CNN
THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
U.S. signs a peace deal with the Taliban, but is the war in Afghanistan really ending?
There is little doubt that the American people are tired of the war in Afghanistan. But leaving at this point has its own set of challenges.
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Afghan conflict: US and Taliban sign deal to end 18-year war
Published29 February 2020
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media captionTrump: "It's been a hard journey for everybody"
The US and the Taliban have signed an "agreement for bringing peace" to Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict.
The US and Nato allies have agreed to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal.
President Trump said it had been a "long and hard journey" in Afghanistan. "It's time after all these years to bring our people back home," he said.
Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are due to follow.
Under the agreement, the militants also agreed not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in the areas they control.
Speaking at the White House, Mr Trump said the Taliban had been trying to reach an agreement with the US for a long time.
He said US troops had been killing terrorists in Afghanistan "by the thousands" and now it was "time for someone else to do that work and it will be the Taliban and it could be surrounding countries".
"I really believe the Taliban wants to do something to show we're not all wasting time," Mr Trump added. "If bad things happen, we'll go back with a force like no-one's ever seen."
BBC
The United States and the Taliban mark the signing of their agreement in Doha.
What happened in Doha?
The deal was signed by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a witness.
In a speech, Mr Pompeo urged the militant group to "keep your promises to cut ties with al-Qaeda".
Mr Baradar said he hoped Afghanistan could now emerge from four decades of conflict.
"I hope that with the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan the Afghan nation under an Islamic regime will take its relief and embark on a new prosperous life," he said.
Afghans in Jalalabad celebrated ahead of the deal's signing
Meanwhile US Defence Secretary Mark Esper was in the Afghan capital Kabul alongside Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani - whose government did not take part in the US-Taliban talks.
Mr Esper said: "This is a hopeful moment, but it is only the beginning. The road ahead will not be easy. Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan will require patience and compromise among all parties." He said the US would continue to support the Afghan government.
Mr Ghani said the country was "looking forward to a full ceasefire". The government said it was ready to negotiate with the Taliban.
What's in the agreement?
Within the first 135 days of the deal the US will reduce its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600, with allies also drawing down their forces proportionately.
The move would allow US President Donald Trump to show that he has brought troops home ahead of the US presidential election in November.
The deal also provides for a prisoner swap. Some 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 Afghan security force prisoners would be exchanged by 10 March, when talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are due to start.
The US will also lift sanctions against the Taliban and work with the UN to lift its separate sanctions against the group.
In Kabul, activist Zahra Husseini said she feared the deal could worsen the situation for women in Afghanistan.
"I don't trust the Taliban, and remember how they suppressed women when they were ruling," the 28-year-old told AFP.
"Today is a dark day, and as I was watching the deal being signed, I had this bad feeling that it would result in their return to power rather than in peace."
CAPICHE? DOH!