Kabul (Afghanistan): The United States and its allies will withdraw all their forces from Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban abide by an agreement due to be signed in Doha on Saturday, Washington and Kabul said in a joint statement.
After an initial reduction of troops to 8,600 within 135 days of Saturday's signing, the US and its partners "will complete the withdrawal of their remaining forces from Afghanistan within 14 months... and will withdraw all their forces from remaining bases", the declaration stated.
Though Afghan President Ashraf Ghani hailed the US-Taliban peace accord, he made it clear that the conditions of deal will only be implementable if the Taliban respects the agreement.
The Doha accord would see thousands of American troops quit Afghanistan in a phased plan after more than 18 years in return for various security commitments from the insurgents and a pledge to hold talks with the government in Kabul.
The Taliban and representatives from Kabul, including the government, are to sit together within 10 to 15 days of today's signing. They will try to negotiate the framework of a post-war Afghanistan. Issues on the table include a more permanent cease-fire and the rights of women and minorities.
Negotiators will try to figure out how to re-integrate tens of thousands of Taliban insurgents and thousands more militiamen loyal to warlords in Kabul, who have grown powerful and wealthy during 18 years.
Shepherding the sides toward intra-Afghan negotiations has been one of the biggest headaches for U.S. negotiators, according to Afghans familiar with the process.
(With inputs from agencies)
