Taliban to begin 'reduction of violence' in Afghanistan toward peace deal with U.S. at end of month

The United States and the Taliban have reportedly reached an understanding toward their pending peace agreement in which the Taliban will begin this weekend to reduce violence in Afghanistan over seven days -- which if successful will lead to a deal signing at the end of the month.

The deal is set to be signed February 29 in Doha, Qatar, and will open the door for a U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and intra-Afghan negotiations.

The intra-Afghan negotiations will “build on this fundamental step to deliver a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire and the future political road map for Afghanistan,” Pompeo also purportedly said in the statement.

The seven-day period preceding the tentative deal signing is not considered a cease-fire, and the U.S. will continue to execute counterterrorism operations in the region.

Pompeo’s statement did not clarify who will participate in the intra-Afghan negotiations. It is also unclear who will represent Kabul at the intra-Afghan negotiations.

The tentative deal was made public several weeks ago and is a key part of President Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Afghanistan and bring home U.S . troops.

Earlier this week, the Afghan election commission declared Ashraf Ghani the winner of the September presidential elections, but the Taliban quickly denounced the election results and have so far refused to talk to Ghani’s government. 

In a reported statement issued Friday by the Taliban, the Islamic fundamentalist group said the signing of the peace deal will “structure a path for intra-Afghan negotiation … and finally lay the groundwork for peace across the country with the withdrawal of all foreign forces.”