Official: US, Taliban reach Afghanistan truce deal
MUNICH – A senior U.S. official said Friday the United States and the Taliban have reached a truce agreement that will take effect “very soon” and could lead to withdrawals of American troops from Afghanistan.
The official said the agreement for a seven-day “reduction in violence” to be followed by the start of all-Afghan peace talks within 10 days is “very specific” and covers the entire country, including Afghan government forces.
The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Taliban had committed to a halt in roadside and suicide bombings as well as rocket attacks. The official said the U.S. would monitor the truce and determine if there were any violations.
Should the Taliban comply, the “reduction in violence” agreement would be followed by the signing of an agreement that would initiate peace negotiations that include all Afghan parties.
A Taliban official familiar with the deal said the second agreement would be signed Feb. 29 and the inter-Afghan dialogue would begin on Mar. 10. The officials said Germany and Norway have offered to host the talks.
That Taliban official added the withdrawal of foreign troops would be phased over 18 months.
President Donald Trump previously called off the peace talks because of an attack that killed two Americans.
U.S. officials have not publicly spelled out their timetable for an initial drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but the expectation is that a reduction from the current total of about 12,000 to approximately 8,600 will begin after the signing of a U.S.-Taliban deal. That initial reduction is likely to stretch out over a period of weeks or months.
A senior U.S. military officer told a small group of reporters Thursday that U.S. counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan against ISIS and al-Qaida will continue, separate from a truce agreement. The official spoke to the group on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive aspects of military operations ahead of the expected deal.
The developments came as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper met Friday in Munich with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.