Military Times by Leo Shane III 2/28/2020
President Donald Trump signaled Friday that U.S. officials are set to sign a historic peace deal with Taliban leaders this weekend, one that he hopes will help “bring our troops home†in the coming months.
In a statement, the president announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will “witness the signing of an agreement with representatives of the Taliban, while Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan†regarding the agreement. Those actions are expected to take place on Saturday.
“When I ran for office, I promised the American people I would begin to bring our troops home and seek to end this war,†Trump said in the statement. “We are making substantial progress on that promise.â€
The announcement comes after a seven-day ceasefire in Afghanistan and after more than 18 years of U.S. military presence in the country, the base of operations for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
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https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/02/28/trump-says-us-will-sign-afghanistan-peace-deal-with-taliban-first-step-in-bringing-troops-home/
