Afghan Government, Taliban Reach Agreement on Continuing Peace Talks

The government of Afghanistan and representatives of the Taliban reached an agreement to continue peace talks, which began in September in Qatar. The deal announced by both sides on Wednesday will allow negotiators to continue talks on issues including a cease fire. The Taliban, an insurgent Islamic fundamentalist movement, has been waging a civil war in Afghanistan for the last two decades. The United States invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban from power in 2001. The Trump Administration is planning to pull some 2,000 troops out of Afghanistan in the coming weeks, leaving about 2,500 in place. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement said that the US welcomes the agreement, adding that the agreement “codifies the rules and procedures the two sides have been negotiating since the start of talks. The teams made a number of important decisions that will guide their negotiations on a political roadmap and a comprehensive ceasefire.” Diplomats from more than 60 countries last week pledged about $12 billion in civilian aid to Afghanistan over the next four years, but conditioned it on progress in peace talks.