Tehran 30 February _US President Donald Trump has vowed to personally meet with leaders of the Afghan militant group that the American military sought to root out when it led a massive invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, dismissing criticism of the deal Washington signed with Taliban.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)_Speaking hours after US and Taliban representatives signed a pact on Saturday aimed at gradually withdrawing American-led foreign troops from the war-ravaged nation and eventually ending the longest war in the US history, Trump further said the deal would allow Washington to its forces in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 within months if the Taliban adheres to its conditions.
The US president, however, insisted that the American military could quickly return forces back into Afghanistan if needed, amid expectations that the forthcoming negotiations between the Afghan sides will be more complicated than the initial pact.
Trump, who has frequently boasted his desire to halt “endless wars,” did not indicate where he would be meeting the leaders of the insurgent group that has fiercely resisted the US military presence in Afghanistan since its occupation of the country following the September 11, 2001 terrorist incidents in New York and near Washington.
Trump further proclaimed during a White House press briefing that Afghanistan’s neighbors should help maintain stability in the war-torn nation following the agreement.
This is while the hawkish US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also hailed what he referred to as “historic talks” that led to the signing of the pact with the Taliban after more than 18 years of a failed US-led military campaign in Afghanistan, with persisting deadly terror attacks across the country, which mostly remains under the control of the insurgent group.
Your Comment