U.S. Would Pull 5,400 Troops in 135 Days from Afghanistan

The United States would withdraw 5,400 troops from Afghanistan within 20 weeks as part of a deal “in principle” with Taliban militants, Washington’s top negotiator has said.

That pullout would be the start of what is expected to be the gradual withdrawal of all 14,000 United States troops that could end America’s longest running war.

The deal outlined by American envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad has led nearly a year of talks with the Taliban.  He  told an Afghan news channel that  the deal is  the product of nine rounds of peace talks that have been held in the Gulf state of Qatar.

In exchange for the US troop withdrawal, the Taliban would ensure that Afghanistan would never again be used as a base for militant groups seeking to attack the US and its allies.

 the United States had reached an agreement “in principle” with the Afghan insurgents, but he cautioned that final approval rested with President Trump.