Taliban Claims Its Close to
a Deal for US Withdrawal
From Afghanistan.
According to the Taliban,
the deal for U.S. troop withdrawal
would be contingent on keeping
Afghanistan free of international militants.
We hope to have good
news soon for our Muslim,
independence-seeking nation, Suhail Shaheen, Taliban spokesman, via Reuters.
U.S. officials have
issued no comment
in response to the reports.
The U.S. war in Afghanistan
has continued for 18 years.
The Taliban controls more of
Afghanistan than it has since the war
began in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks.
Casualties among civilians
and combatants have begun
to rise in recent months.
A spokesman for Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani says any
agreement must be conditional.
We want to end the bloodshed. We cannot accept the orders of the Taliban. They must accept our demands and we demand peace, Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for President Ghani,
via Reuters