<\/p>\n
KABUL (SW) –U.S. President Donald Trump has said the Afghan government and the Taliban insurgent group will soon agree to take steps to wind down the war in the country.<\/p>\n
"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," Trump said in a statement. He did not mention when the agreement would occur, nor when the declaration would be made.<\/p>\n
"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," added Trump.<\/p>\n
The landmark peace deal comes on the heels of an unprecedented week-long reduction in violence ending on Friday, Feb. 28, a condition stipulated ahead of the expected signing of a peace deal between the U.S. and Taliban in Qatar on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The deal between the U.S. and the Taliban includes pledges from Washington on a phased withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and a vow from the Taliban not to harbor international terrorists. They are also set to commit to sharing the table with Afghan officials, politicians, and civil society.<\/p>\n
This would follow intra-Afghan talks for which a contact group has been sent to Doha by the Afghan government.<\/p>\n
ENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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