U.S. and Afghan Taliban sign peace agreement

China News Agency, Washington, February 29 (Reporter Sha Tingting) Comprehensive news: The United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan signed a peace agreement in Doha, Qatar, to end the war in Afghanistan on the 29th, marking the end of the 18-year war in Afghanistan.

That day, the United States and Afghan Taliban negotiators signed the agreement. US Secretary of State Pompeo witnessed the signing of the agreement. According to the agreement, foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan, including the United States, will withdraw from Afghanistan within the next 14 months. The Taliban have promised to refuge from terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaida.

Pompeo said on the same day that the United States will closely monitor the Taliban's compliance with its commitments and will withdraw accordingly. It is reported that the US military is expected to reduce the number of troops stationed in Afghanistan from the current 13,000 to 8,600 in the next three to four months.

Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Barada said the Taliban will abide by the agreement and "hope that the withdrawal of foreign troops can bring peace to Afghanistan".

In Kabul, the Afghan capital, Afghan President Ghani and US Secretary of Defense Esper signed an agreement on the same day, promising that the Afghan government will support the peace agreement reached between the United States and the Taliban. Esper said that the final peace in Afghanistan requires patience and compromise from all parties, and despite the difficulties in the future, hope can already be seen.

According to US media reports, the Afghan government and the Taliban will begin peace talks on March 10. However, the Afghan government has not yet agreed to the Taliban's request for the release of 5,000 Taliban war criminals before the negotiations.

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.

According to statistics, in this 18-year war, US forces spent more than 750 billion US dollars, killing tens of thousands of Afghan civilians and more than 2,400 US troops. (Finish)