The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that Washington and the Afghan militants have decided to breathe new life into the crumbling peace deal and promised to “reduce” military operations on the ground.
Khalilzad wrote on Twitter that, following a meeting with the Taliban, “we agreed to re-set actions by strictly adhering to implementation of all elements of the US-Taliban Agreement and all commitments made.”
“This means reduced numbers of operations. At present, too many Afghans are dying. With the re-set, we expect that number to drop significantly,” he said, adding that, “all parties must deliver on their responsibilities.”
The US has been holding talks with the Taliban, hoping to end the gridlock in the war-torn country. The long-awaited peace deal signed in February paved a way for political settlement, the withdrawal of American troops, and a prisoner swap between the militants and the US-backed Afghan government.
Despite early optimism, further talks stalled, leading to a new round of violence as the Taliban and the government forces resumed offensives against each other.
A US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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