US President Donald Trump said that it is time "to bring our people back home," following the signing of US-Taliban agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan.
Addressing a press conference in White House, Trump said that the US would reduce its forces in Afghanistan approximately to 8600, "and then well make our final decision some point in the fairly near future."
The deal was signed by the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban Deputy Leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Doha, Qatar on Saturday, at the presence US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and representatives of at least 20 countries.
According to the agreement, within the first 135 days of the deal, the US would reduce its troops to 8600 in Afghanistan.
"We just signed an agreement that puts us in a position to get it done, bring us down to in the vicinity of 8,000 troops. The United Nations was informed of everything," Trump said.
After the agreement between the US and the Taliban, Trump said that he would meet with the Taliban leaders "in the not-too-distant future". "We will be very much hoping that they will be doing what they say they are going to be doing: They will be killing terrorists. They will be killing some very bad people. They will keep that fight going," Trump said.
"If bad things happen, we will go back. I let the people know: we will go back and we will go back so fast, and we will go back with a force as nobody has ever seen. I do not think that will be necessary. I hope it is not necessary," he said.
"The Taliban has given a pledge and a very strong pledge, and well see how that all work out. We hope its going to work out very well, " said Trump, "I think they have big incentives to do it, but they have to take care of the terrorists and kill the terrorists. Well be working in a different kind of fashion toward that end."
Currently, around 14,000 US troops are based in Afghanistan as part of a US-led NATO mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces. Some US forces also carry out counter-terrorism operations.
SOURCE: Ariananews
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/14355
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