Kabul
The US and the Taliban are ‘close’ to reaching an agreement for a deal that would see the Pentagon slash its troop numbers in Afghanistan, a spokesperson for the group said on Wednesday.
The two foes have been meeting in Doha in recent days in a bid to put the final touches on a historic deal that would see the Taliban make various security guarantees in return for a sharp reduction in the 13,000 or so American troops based in Afghanistan.
“We are close to an agreement. We hope to bring good news for our Muslim and freedom seeking nation soon,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted.
Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesperson for President Ashraf Ghani, said US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad would come to Kabul in ‘one or two’ days to brief the Afghan leader about the deal.
A senior Taliban commander in Pakistan said that a meeting of group leaders was underway at an undisclosed location along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where the senior figures were reviewing the proposed agreement.
“All the Shura (consultation) members have received the draft and they are reading it carefully, yet no go-ahead signal has been given to the Taliban negotiating team in Doha,” the Taliban official said.—. AFP
