U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press briefing in Washington D.C., the United States, Feb. 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
Under the plan, U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will be reduced to 8,600 troops from the current 12,000 to 13,000 within 135 days, CNN reported.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that a possible U.S.-Taliban peace deal will include a timetable for conditions-based U.S. troop withdrawals and the start of the intra-Afghan negotiations.
Washington will sign a deal with Afghan Taliban "on or about February 29th" only after a successful implementation of a week-long violence reduction beginning Saturday in Afghanistan, Pompeo told reporters at a State Department press conference.
The agreement "includes a timeline for both a conditions-based and phased troop withdrawal, and for the commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations," the top U.S. diplomat noted.
These negotiations, if taking place, will be "the first time that Afghans representing all sides of the conflict will sit down together and begin the hard work of reconciliation," Pompeo added.
Afghan security force members inspect at the site of an attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, May 8, 2019. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)
Under the plan, U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, which began in 2001 and has been called "ridiculous " by President Donald Trump, will be reduced to 8,600 troops from the current 12,000 to 13,000 over the course of 135 days, reported the CNN news channel citing two sources familiar with the deal.
Washington announced last week that a deal with Taliban is expected to be signed on Feb. 29 without disclosing the location of the signing.
Peace talks between the two sides began in 2018 but were interrupted at least twice due to Taliban attacks on U.S. military personnel in September and December last year.
Zabiullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, tweeted Friday that the finalized accord is expected to be signed in the presence of "senior representatives of numerous countries and organizations." ■
