The planned signing of a US -Taliban agreement on Saturday has spurred hopes of an end to almost two decades of conflict in Afghanistan that has killed thousands and become America's longest war.
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Below are the key details:
- The agreement is due to be signed in Qatar's capital Doha, the Taliban's political headquarters and the host for talks over the past year and a half.
- Senior Taliban leaders will take part along with US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday to coincide with the signing.
- The agreement will lay the groundwork for negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government to end a war that began when US-led forces invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
- The deal is expected to set out a timeline for the pullout of thousands of US troops in exchange for guarantees the Taliban won't allow militant groups such as al-Qaeda to operate in Afghanistan.
What happens next?
- The agreement would begin a phased withdrawal of up to 14 thousand American troops and about 8500 soldiers from other nations, serving as part of a mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces.
-Western powers could continue to maintain military bases in the land-locked country that shares borders with six nations.
- Taliban commanders say once the deal is signed the group will release 1,000 Afghan prisoners. In exchange, the Taliban expects the Afghan government to release their 5,000 fighters.
- The next step would be for negotiators to work out an agreement for the future of the country, including how it will be governed and what role the Taliban would have.
- Officials and experts say that will pose serious challenges. So far, negotiations have been between the United States and the Taliban and President Ashraf Ghani's government in Kabul has complained of being sidelined.
How did the agreement come about?
- The prospect of a peace arrangement with the Taliban has been raised by Afghan and US leaders for more than a decade. Momentum towards the latest deal came after US President Donald Trump appointed Zalmay Khalilzad as his special envoy to Afghanistan.
- Khalilzad has held talks with the Taliban in Doha and travelled to Pakistan several times to meet key Taliban leaders. Progress had stalled several times, most notably in September when Trump tweeted that he had cancelled talks after an attack in Kabul that killed 12, including an American soldier.
- Talks began again in late 2019, culminating in a seven-day 'reduction in violence' agreement that ends on Saturday with the signing of the deal in Doha.
Australian Associated Press
