US-Taliban deal puts Afghanistan on a path to peace: Khalilzad

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad said that the agreement signed by the US and the Taliban “puts Afghanistan on a path to peace.”

Khalilzad and Taliban Deputy Leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the deal on Saturday in Doha, Qatar, aimed to bring peace in Afghanistan and lead to ending the long-term conflict in the country and the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo witnessed the signing.

The US-Taliban Agreement: for bringing peace in Afghanistan Download

“After years of conflict, we have signed an agreement with the Taliban that achieves US objectives and puts Afghanistan on a path to peace,” Khalilzad said in a tweet.

He calls on people of Afghanistan to avoid mistakes of the past and work together for building an inclusive, united and sovereign country, saying “History will judge Afghans by how they embrace this moment of opportunity.”

“We must remember the lessons of history, and the darkness of conflict. I call on all Afghans to learn from the past, and work together to build a stable, inclusive future for their children,” Khalilzad added.

“There are lessons for the world as well not to abandon Afghanistan,” he stressed.

The United States will do its part. The real celebration will be when we have achieved these goals, Khalilzad noted.

According to the agreement, within the first 135 days of the deal, the US would reduce its troops to 8600 in Afghanistan.

It is said that the Taliban have provided the US negotiators a list of some 5,000 prisoners imprisoned by the Afghan government. In return, the Taliban will have release 1,000 captives of the Afghan security forces.