US and Taliban sign peace agreement aimed at ending Afghanistan conflict

The US and the Taliban have signed a historic peace agreement aimed at ending 18 years of conflict in Afghanistan.

American troops will begin withdrawing from the region in a bid to end the country's longest war with its once sworn enemy.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met a 31-strong Taliban delegation as they shared a stage in Qatar's capital Doha on Saturday.

Mr Pompeo called it "a momentous day", as he issued a list of instructions to the Taliban to ensure the deal's success.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani before the peace signing ceremony
AP

The agreement, signed by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, confirms the complete withdrawal of US and NATO troops within 14 months.

The US has also agreed to cease using force against Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs.​

It has also committed to seeking annual funds to train, advise and equip Afghan security forces.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sign the peace agreement
AFP via Getty Images

Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani addressed a parallel ceremony in Kabul saying his country's people were "looking forward to a permanent peace."

"Today can be the moment of overcoming the past," he said as he called for a moment of silence "in honour of our mutual fallen heroes".

President George W Bush ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001. Some US troops currently serving there had not been born when the World Trade Centre was attacked.

It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the US tried to establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world.

Referring to this, Mr Ghani continued: "The tragedy of 9/11 brought us together. Mutual sacrifice created human bonds between us. Mutual interest, your security and our freedom, sustains our relationship in mutual respect, which has made us partners."

"Nato and US partners have spared neither blood nor treasure for attaining the goals of the partnership," he added.

"We ask you to thank the veterans, especially the gold star families, for their service.

"Our sacrifice has been immense... children, youth in their prime, and men and women in all ages in all walks of life, whose lives have been taken away by senseless acts of violence in terror and public spaces."

"We have the political will and the capacity to make peace because of the resilience of our society, the dynamism of our economy and the capability of our state."

Ashraf Ghani (center), US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (right), and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (left) hold a joint news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul
AP

The number of armed forces will drop to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the four to five months following Saturday's signing.

However, the withdrawal of all remaining forces will depend on the Taliban meeting certain counter-terrorism conditions, assessed by Washington.

The signing could help President Donald Trump fulfil a key campaign promise to extract America from its "endless wars".

America has spent more than 750 billion dollars on the prologued conflict, and on all sides the war has cost tens of thousands of lives.

Members of the US Navy carry a comrade wounded by an explosion in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan on October 2, 2010
REUTERS

Welcoming the deal, the Foreign Office in London said: “Thanks to the efforts of UK and coalition forces, Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for international terrorists and Britain’s streets are safer.

“But all sides recognise that only a political solution can ensure stability and build a lasting peace in Afghanistan.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “These agreements mark a significant moment in the pursuit of peace in Afghanistan.

“The current reduction in violence is welcome and I hope it will be maintained, but meaningful negotiations between the Afghan leadership and the Taliban are the real prize and I hope this opportunity will be seized.

“The only way to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan is through a political solution.”

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