Last year in September, the peace talks were called off after Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul that killed an American soldier and 11 other people.
US President Donald Trump speaks to the press prior to departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, February 23, 2020, leaving on a 2-day trip to India.(Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
In a recent development in the on and off peace deal between the US and Afghanistan, President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would sign a peace deal with the Taliban if one were eventually reached in Afghanistan. “Yes,” he told reporters at the White House as he prepared to depart for his stand-alone trip to India. “I would put my name on it.” His comments came after a partial truce took effect in Afghanistan on Saturday, with the Taliban, US, and Afghan forces agreeing to a week-long “reduction in violence.”
The truce was intended to set conditions for Washington and the insurgents to sign a deal in Doha on February 29 that could ultimately lead to a withdrawal of US forces after more than 18 years. Trump was not specific about what document he would be willing to sign but said decisions were contingent on progress during the initial truce. He said the cooling-off period has “been holding up. It’s a day and a half. We’ll see what happens.”
On Friday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Afghans to “seize this opportunity” to take a “step on a long road to peace.”
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After decades of conflict, we have come to an understanding with the Taliban on a significant reduction in violence across #Afghanistan. This is an important step on a long road to peace, and I call on all Afghans to seize this opportunity.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 21, 2020
“I want to see how this period of a week works out,” President Trump said. “If it works out over the next less-than-a-week, I would put my name on it. Time to come home. And they want to stop,” he said. “I think the Taliban want to make a deal too. They’re tired of fighting.”
Last year in September, the attempt at finalizing a deal between the Taliban and the United States, after the former claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul that killed an American soldier and 11 other people.
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