Mike Pompeo (USA), Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (Qatar), Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah (Oman), and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (Turkey) – Picture by US State Department.
Saturday, 29 February 2020, Doha, State of Qatar: the USA administration has announced a peace agreement vis-à-vis the Taliban, that paves the way for the US to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan after 19 years on the ground.
The provisions of the deal include the withdrawal of all American and NATO troops from Afghanistan, a Taliban pledge to prevent al-Qaeda from operating in areas under Taliban control, and talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
The United States agreed to an initial reduction of its force level from 13,000 to 8,600, followed by a full withdrawal within 14 months, if the Taliban honour their commitments.
This preliminary agreement is contingent on further internal negotiations between the Taliban and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Qatar and Oman are pivotal diplomatic partners when mediating with the Taliban.
For the agreement:
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Agreement-For-Bringing-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf
