Kabul:The US and its Nato allies will withdraw all their troops from Afghanistan in 14 months if the Taliban uphold their commitments under a deal to be signed shortly, officials say.
The announcement came in a joint US-Afghan declaration issued here on Saturday ahead of the agreement to be signed in Qatar later in the day, which is aimed at paving the way towards peace in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict, BBC reported.
Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are to follow
“The coalition will complete the withdrawal of their remaining forces from Afghanistan within 14 months following the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement… subject to the Taliban’s fulfilment of its commitments,” the statement released by the US and Afghan governments said.
The US invaded the country weeks after the September 2001 attacks by the Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda group.
More than 2,400 US troops have been killed during the conflict. About 12,000 are still stationed in the country. President Trump has promised to put an end to the conflict.
Prasanta Patnaik