KABUL: US President Donald Trump is serious about getting out of Afghanistan, the Taliban said on Friday, outlining the “Islamic system” comprising “all Afghans” that the group says it hopes to establish under any peace deal.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid spoke to AFP via WhatsApp a day after the US said talks with the militants are “on the right path”, fuelling thought of a breakthrough in the 17-year conflict.
The US president’s apparent eagerness to pull troops out has weighed on the negotiations, which culminated with six straight days of meetings in Qatar last week.
“An agreement was reached on a principle framework… which, if implemented, and if the Americans take honest steps and stick to it truthfully, then God willing we are hopeful that the Americans will end the occupation of Afghanistan,” Mujahid said.
“It appears that Trump is serious,” the Taliban spokesperson continued.
US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad also spoke this week of a “draft framework” for a deal, though he warned that major hurdles — including any US withdrawal — remain.
Experts have hailed the development as a milestone in the grinding 17-year conflict.
But it has prompted concerns from Afghans and observers who feared foreign troops could withdraw before a lasting peace is reached between the insurgents and the government in Kabul.
The Taliban took over Afghanistan in 1996, imposing Shariah law on the country until they were toppled in the US invasion of 2001.
They have since fought an insurgency demanding foreign troops leave and an Islamic state be re-established.
Mujahid said a foreign withdrawal was the first goal.
