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Taliban Says U.S. Has Agreed to Halve Its Afghanistan Troop Presence

HeadlineFeb 07, 2019

In Moscow, peace talks between the Taliban and prominent Afghan politicians wrapped up Wednesday with parties agreeing to a road map for ending the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan—now in its 18th year, the longest war in U.S. history. The government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani did not attend the talks, which did not reach consensus on a timeline for a U.S. withdrawal. This is the Taliban’s chief negotiator.

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai: “We are in negotiation with the American side, and we are trying that the American forces should go out as soon as it is possible.”

Reporter 1: “When?”

Reporter 2: “What’s the timeline?”

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai: “The timeline is not fixed so far, and it’s not agreed upon. But we are negotiating this.”

A Taliban official later said the Trump administration has agreed to pull half of all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by the end of April, though a Pentagon spokesperson later denied the military has received orders to begin a withdrawal.

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