After the signing of the US-Taliban agreement, questions about the Taliban's commitment to reduce violence in Afghanistan and disagreements about the terms of the release of thousands of prisoners are threatening to upend the long-anticipated deal
President Donald Trump on Monday said the US was"getting out" of Afghanistan, noting that"we have discussions to go, but we've made a lot of progress." The agreement signed Saturday could see the full withdrawal of US and allied forces from Afghanistan in just over a year, with an initial drawdown to 8,600 troops in the first 135 days. US officials have stressed that the withdrawal of troops would be"conditions-based.
The agreement stipulates that the US"is committed to start immediately to work with all relevant sides on a plan to expeditiously release combat and political prisoners as a confidence building measure with the coordination and approval of all relevant sides."According to the text of the agreement, up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and up to 1,000"prisoners of the other side will be released by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations.
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