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AFGHANISTAN

U.S. envoy announces draft troop pullout deal with Taliban

By Mike Tyler

September 4, 2019 - Under a draft peace deal with the Taliban the United States will withdraw 5,400 troops from Afghanistan and close five bases within 135 days. The accord requires the insurgent movement to ensure Afghanistan is not used by Al Qaeda or so-called Islamic State as a base for global attacks.

Top U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad on Monday showed a draft deal to the Afghan president after declaring that they are “at the threshold of an agreement” following the end of the ninth round of U.S.-Taliban talks in Qatar. The agreement still needs President Donald Trump’s approval.

The Taliban, at their strongest since their 2001 defeat by a U.S.-led invasion, want all U.S. and NATO troops out of Afghanistan immediately, while the U.S. seeks a withdrawal in phases that would depend on the Taliban meeting certain conditions such as a reduction in violence.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 04/09/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press
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