U.S., Taliban Reach Deal On Reducing Violence In Afghanistan — U.S. Official

By RFE/RL |

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (center) shakes hands with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper looks on at the Munich Security Conference on February 14.

The United States and the Taliban have reached a deal on a weeklong reduction of violence that could lead to U.S. troops withdrawing from Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official has said.

The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich on February 14 that the deal to achieve a seven-day reduction in violence would take effect “very soon.”

However, he told reporters that the agreement on a week of reduced violence had yet to begin.

The remarks came after a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the conference.

U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and General Scott Miller, the commander of the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan, also attended the meeting.

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