China News Service, February 29. According to the US Chinese website, US President Trump stated that he will send Secretary of State Pompeo to Qatar on the 29th to sign a peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban.
"In accordance with my instructions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will witness the signing of an agreement with a Taliban representative and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint statement with the Afghan government," Trump said in a statement issued by the White House.
Trump expects the agreement to mean the end of the 19-year war and U.S. troops may return home. He said he was determined to deliver on his campaign promise to end the war.
"When I ran for president, I promised the American people that I would start withdrawing our troops and seeking to end this war. We have made substantial progress on this commitment." He also said that the agreement May bring peace to this war-torn region.
Trump's statement also said: "These commitments represent an important step towards a lasting peace in New Afghanistan, free of 'Al Qaeda', 'Islamic State' and any other terrorist organization trying to harm us. Ultimately it will be the Afghan people who will plan them The future of Afghanistan. We therefore urge the Afghan people to seize this peaceful opportunity to create a new future for their country. "
The agreement, which is expected to be signed in Doha, aims to lay the groundwork for a U.S. withdrawal and to facilitate negotiations between Afghans on both sides of the conflict over their country's future.
In 2001, the United States launched the Afghan war after the September 11 terrorist attack, overthrowing the Taliban regime that the United States has deemed to shelter the "Al Qaeda" organization. In recent years, the Taliban has remained strong in Afghanistan. Since October 2018, the U.S. government has held peace talks with the Taliban.