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(CNN) - After a week-long "reduction in violence," the United States and the Taliban signed a historic agreement on Saturday that sets in motion the potential total withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, and could pave the way to end with the longest war that the United States has fought.
The agreement was signed in Doha, Qatar, by the United States Special Representative for the Reconciliation of Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, the main US negotiator. in talks with the Taliban, and mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s chief negotiator. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo witnessed the firm.
The "Agreement to bring peace to Afghanistan" describes a series of US commitments. and the Taliban, related to troop levels, counterterrorism and intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at achieving "a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire."
"This is a hopeful moment, but it is only the beginning," Pompeo said at a press conference in the capital of Qatar on Saturday. "There is a lot of hard work ahead on the diplomatic front."
The Taliban "will begin intra-Afghan negotiations with the parties involved on March 10, 2020," says the text of the agreement.
The agreement establishes a 14-month calendar for the withdrawal of “all United States military forces, their allies and partners of the Coalition, including all non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security contractors, trainers, advisers and service personnel. support for".
There would be an initial withdrawal of 8,600 soldiers in the first 135 days, according to the agreement. US officials have emphasized that any reduction in the presence of US troops would be "based on conditions."
During the signing ceremony in Doha, Pompeo said the United States "will closely monitor the fulfillment of the Taliban's commitments and the pace of the withdrawal will depend on their actions."
"This is how we will ensure that Afghanistan will never again serve as a base for international terrorists," Pompeo said.
President Donald Trump informed reporters at the White House on Saturday that "he would meet personally with the Taliban leaders in the not too distant future" after the signing of the agreement.
"We hope they will fulfill what they say they will do" under the terms of the agreement, he said.
"Everyone wanted this to happen," Trump added.
The president said he wanted to congratulate the US officials involved in the agreement, as well as his counterpart from Afghanistan.
What the agreement says
The four-page agreement states that the Taliban will take measures "to prevent any group or individual, including al Qaeda, from using the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies."
Those steps include commitments that the Taliban will instruct its members "not to cooperate with groups or individuals that threaten the security of the United States and its allies," and "will prevent any group or individual in Afghanistan from threatening the security of the United States and its allies ”, and will prevent them from recruiting, training, raising funds and hosting them, in accordance with the commitments of this agreement”.
A senior administration official who informed reporters last week acknowledged that "people are concerned about the historical relationship between the Taliban and al Qaeda."
“We believe that this is a decisive and historical first step in terms of its public recognition that they are breaking ties with Al Qaeda. That will be continuous work, ”they said.
The agreement also requires the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 "prisoners from the other side" on the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations.
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“The parties have the goal of releasing all remaining prisoners over the next three months. The United States is committed to completing this objective, ”says the text.
At a press conference after the signing, Pompeo said that "if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, Trump and his team will not hesitate to do what we must do to protect the lives of Americans."
While Pompeo was in Doha, Defense Secretary Mark Esper was in Kabul, Afghanistan, for a joint declaration ceremony with Afghan and NATO officials, including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Esper said there is "great hope" about the future of Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan deserves the opportunity to enjoy the security that comes from peace and stability, this will only happen if Afghans come together to take advantage of this," said Esper.
The signing of the agreement between the United States and the Taliban foresees the realization of a Trump campaign promise, which has tried to diminish the United States' participation in wars abroad.
"If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan meet these commitments, we will have a powerful way to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," Trump said in a statement Friday. "These commitments represent an important step towards a lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free of al Qaeda, ISIS and any other terrorist group that seeks to harm us."
The United States has been at war in Afghanistan since 2001. Saturday's agreement in Doha came after more than a year of intermittent negotiations with the militant group. The two sides had reached "an agreement of principle" at the beginning of September 2019, as Khalilzad reported at the time. Shortly afterwards, Trump suspended the talks and revealed that he canceled a secret summit in Camp David with the militant group after a deadly attack was attributed to Kabul, which killed a member of the US service.
On a surprise visit to Afghanistan in November, Trump reported that the talks had restarted. The president of the United States made the announcement shortly after the Taliban released an American professor and an Australian in exchange for the release of three Taliban prisoners by the Afghan government. The State Department reported at the beginning of December that Khalilzad had joined the Taliban talks in the capital of Qatar.
Members of Congress and regional experts had expressed concern about the agreement before signing. On Wednesday, Representative Liz Cheney addressed a group of 21 other Republican lawmakers expressing "serious concerns" about the anticipated agreement.
In a letter to Pompeo and Esper, they asked for the full publication of the agreement and wrote that they are "seeking assurances that they will not put the security of the American people in the hands of the Taliban and undermine our ally, the current government of Afghanistan."
A senior administration official said last week that “there are parts of this agreement that will not be public, but those parts do not contain any additional commitment from the United States,” but will contain “some confidential procedures for the implementation and verification of the agreement itself. ”
After his signature, Senator Lindsey Graham expressed mild support and some skepticism about the agreement.
"I suspect the Taliban accepted the Afghan constitution and honored the rights of religious minorities and women," said the Republican of South Carolina and Trump's firm ally. "Time will tell if reconciliation in Afghanistan can be achieved with honor and security, but after more than 18 years of war, it is time to try."
The text of the agreement does not contain any specific mention regarding the protection of women or civil society.
In his comments on Saturday in Doha, Pompeo asked the Taliban to "adopt the historical progress made for women and girls, and take advantage of it for the benefit of all Afghans."
“The future of Afghanistan must take advantage of the potential God has given each person,” said Pompeo.
The senior administration official told reporters last week that women "will have a seat at the table during the negotiations."
Those negotiations in March are likely to take place in Oslo, Norway, another senior administration official said. The details are still being resolved in terms of the negotiation design, and who will be specifically at the table on the Afghan side.
There were a record number of attacks carried out in Afghanistan last year by the Taliban and other anti-government groups. Violence in Afghanistan has continued this year, when the Taliban killed two members of the US service earlier this month.
The second senior official of the administration acknowledged last week that the way forward will not be "easy" or "perfect."
"It's not that the Taliban are infinitely evil or that this will bring flowers, roses and doves overnight," they said. “We and the Afghans have been in this conflict for decades. There are behavioral patterns, psychological views. People will have to start making a big change. ”
CNN's Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Glasse, Simon Cullen, Nada Bashir, Kevin Bohn, Nic Robertson and Nicole Gaouette contributed to this report.
AfghanistanTaliban Taliban Movement