The United States signed a peace deal with Taliban militants on Saturday, according to the Associated Press. Both sides seek to end the 18 years of conflict in Afghanistan.

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The agreement should see the withdrawal of all American and allied forces from Afghanistan within the next 14 months. Troops will be withdrawn slowly during that time with totals dropping from 13,000 troops to 8,600 troops in the next 3-4 months. A complete withdrawal will be determinant on the Taliban’s required actions to prevent future terrorism.

“We will closely watch the Taliban’s compliance with their commitments, and calibrate the pace of our withdrawal to their actions. This is how we will ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a base for international terrorists,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The invasion of Afghanistan was ordered in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but grew into a larger intervention engulfing much of the Middle East, that has resulted in the US spending $750 billion, the death of tens of thousands, and the growth of more terrorist organizations such as ISIS. 

The Washington Post published “The Afghanistan Papers” in December 2019, detailing gross incompetence, the misleading of the public to present an image of success, and more. You can check out that full report here.