En route to US withdrawal from Afghanistan: US and Taliban reached a ceasefire agreement
US Secretary of State Pompeo and Secretary of Defense will meet with Afghan president, US official says parties are expected to sign a ceasefire agreement that will begin a 7-day lull and require all factions to open peace talks. Who have been in it since 2001
En route to US withdrawal from Afghanistan: US and Taliban reached a ceasefire agreement
Photo: Reuters, edited by Tal ReznikThe United States and the Taliban have reached a ceasefire agreement in Afghanistan, a senior official in the United States said on Friday. He said the agreement will go into effect "very soon" and will likely lead to the withdrawal of US forces from the state, which have been staying there since declaring war following the September 11 attacks in 2001.
According to the source, the agreement signed includes an outline to reduce violence for seven days. Then, according to the agreement, all the forces in the state are required to start within ten days in peace talks. According to the source, the agreement covers all factions, including the Afghan military.
The official who refused to be exposed said that the Taliban had pledged to stop the suicide bombings and rocket launches. The United States will act as the cease-fire supervisor and will alert if any violations have been committed.
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To the full articleA week of relaxation. Foreign Minister Pompeo and President Ghani meet today (Photo: AP)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes the hand of Afghan President Ashraf Gani in Germany. February 14, 2020. (Photo: AP)
The statement comes in light of the meeting of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Asper with Afghan President Ashraf on Friday in Munich with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the fringes of the Munich International Security Forum. According to officials in the United States, President Donald Trump has in principle agreed to the agreement, having previously ordered a halt to the talks following an attack by two U.S. soldiers in the country.
The final details of the agreement have been mentioned in recent days by the United States special envoy to the region, Zalmei Khalilzad and the representatives of the Taliban in Doha. Khalilzad also stayed in Munich when the meeting was held and even took part in it, as did General Scott Miller, commander of the US-led International Force in Afghanistan.
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani in Germany. February 14, 2020. (Photo: AP)
Factors in the outline of the sweeping agreement indicated that it calls for a successful end to the week-long calm. If the Taliban approves the agreement, after the lull, all factions will sign another agreement in which they will undertake the same contacts that will determine Afghanistan's political roadmap.
A Taliban official said the second agreement is expected to be signed in two weeks, on February 29. He said the dialogue between the factions in Midna will begin on March 10. He noted that Germany and Norway offered the talks after the talks, but no decision has yet been made and even claimed that the withdrawal of all foreign forces in the country, according to the summaries, will be gradual for 18 months.
Opposing officials in the United States have not released their withdrawal schedules. However, it is estimated that the number of troops stationed on Afghanistan's land will be reduced from 12,000 to about 8,600 when the agreement is signed. This reduction of forces is also expected to take weeks or even months.
