The United States of America and the Taliban group have signed an agreement in Doha, Qatar, aimed at ending their 18 year-long war and moving towards peace in Afghanistan. The deal was signed by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban politician chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as witness. Talks between the Taliban and the Afghanistan government are due to follow.

Under the newly signed deal, the Taliban agreed to cease hostilities and not allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist militant group to operate in regions they control while the US and its NATO allies agreed to withdraw all troops from the country in within 14 months. Within the first 135 days of the deal, the US will reduce its forces stationed in Afghanistan to 8,600 and will lift sanctions against the group while working with the United Nations to lift UN sanctions off the group. By March 10th, 2020, a prisoner swap involving some 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 Afghan forces prisoners will be exchanged.