US Committed to Pullout from Afghanistan amid Peace Talks
The United States and the Taliban group have reportedly agreed on next round of peace talks as US officials say it does not seek a permanent military presence in Afghanistan.
The United States and the Taliban group have reportedly agreed on next round of peace talks as US officials say it does not seek a permanent military presence in Afghanistan.
“Both parties agreed tentatively to reconvene on February 25th,” a Qatari foreign ministry official said on Sunday.
US officials confirmed “significant progress” have been made during six-days talks between the Taliban group and the US delegation led by Mr Khalilzad in Doha, Qatar. However, the details of the talks have not been shared to media outlets yet.
“The U.S. is serious about pursuing peace, preventing Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism and bringing forces home,” US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo twitted.
Meanwhile, a senior U.S. government official said on Monday that the United States was committed to a withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan after 17 years of war.
The official, who declined to be identified, described “significant progress” in talks last week with the Taliban in Qatar on a foreign troop pullout, but more negotiations were needed on a ceasefire, Reuters quoted the official as saying.
“Of course we don’t seek a permanent military presence in Afghanistan,” the official said in the capital Kabul.
