As the United States gets close to signing a peace deal with the Taliban that has been negotiated for almost 18 months between the two sides, the US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg are visiting Kabul on Saturday, a government official confirmed.

Esper and Stoltenberg will announce a joint declaration with President Ashraf Ghani, according to presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.

The US-Taliban deal is expected to be signed in Doha on Saturday, Feb. 29. A joint declaration will be announced in Kabul simultaneously.

These events will follow a weeklong reduction in violence period that started on Feb. 22 and will end on Friday night.

According to government numbers, as well as information collected, security incidents - mostly initiated by the Taliban - have been significantly reduced over the last week.

Sources another round of a reduction in violence will follow- if the two sides succeed in signing the peace deal.

SORCE: Tolonews

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/14322

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