The United States and the Taliban have signed a peace agreement that seeks to end a war that has already lasted 18 years in Afghanistan.
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If the Taliban complies with the promise, US troops will withdraw from the country within 14 months.
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Under the agreement, the United States will begin withdrawing thousands of troops in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being a launching pad for terrorist attacks. The escalation of violence in the country must also cease.
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In photos: The bloody end of a wedding shows how Afghanistan lives the worst wave of violence in recent years
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Taliban to “keep their promises to break ties with Al-Qaeda.”
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“I know there is a temptation to declare victory, but the victory for Afghans will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper,” Pompeo said as part of the signing ceremony, which took place in Doha, Qatar.
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Prisoner exchange
As part of the agreement, the United States and the Taliban agreed to exchange thousands of prisoners in a “confidence building measure.”
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“Until March 10, up to 5,000 prisoners (from the Taliban) … and 1,000 prisoners from the other side (Afghan forces) will be released,” the document reads.
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From that date on, the dialogue between the Taliban and the Kabul government should begin.
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The US “will not hesitate to cancel the agreement”
The United States “will not hesitate to cancel” its historic agreement with the Taliban if the insurgents do not comply with their security guarantees and pledge to hold talks with the Afghan government, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Saturday. by the AFP agency.
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At a conference in Kabul, Esper warned that “if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they will lose the opportunity to sit down with other Afghans and deliberate on the future of their country.”
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“In addition, the United States would not hesitate to cancel the agreement.”
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This agreement could help President Donald Trump finally fulfill a key promise of his campaign: to get the United States out of its “endless wars.”
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The United States invaded Afghanistan after the attacks of September 11, 2001 to overthrow the Taliban, who had welcomed Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda leaders who planned and celebrated the terrorist attack. Afghanistan has been the longest war in the modern history of the United States.
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