US President Donald Trump urged Afghan people to seize the opportunity for peace and a new future for their country, a day before Washington signs an agreement with the Taliban on Saturday.
Trump, in a statement released by the White House, said that he was making substantial progress on his presidential campaign promise to bring US troops back home.
He said that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will witness the signing of an agreement with the representatives of the Taliban, while Secretary of Defense Mike Esper will issue a joint declaration with the Afghan government.
“If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to thesecommitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home,” Trump said “Thesecommitments represent an important step to a lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free from Al Qaeda, ISIS, and any other terrorist group that would seek to bring us harm.”
The US-Taliban deal is expected to be followed by intra-Afghan peace talks.
Trump said that ultimately it will be up to the people of Afghanistan to work out their future as he urged “the Afghan people to seize this opportunity for peace and a new future for their country.”
Trump thanked American soldiers who served in Afghanistan, adding these agreements are a result of their “strenuous efforts.”
