Taliban: U.S. vowed to pull out half its Afghan troops by April

“Great nations do not fight endless wars,” Trump said in his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday.

By REUTERS
Updated: FEBRUARY 6, 2019 13:08
Taliban militants with weapons 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Parwiz)
Taliban militants with weapons 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Parwiz)
The Taliban, which has a delegation in Moscow for talks, said on Wednesday that the United States vowed during recent talks with it to pull out half of its troops from Afghanistan by April, the RIA news agency reported.
The United States held peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar last month that ended with signs of progress towards the withdrawal of thousands of foreign troops from Afghanistan and an end to more than 17 years of war.
“Great nations do not fight endless wars,” Trump said in his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday.
After 17 years of war in Afghanistan, Trump praised “the unmatched valor” of US forces.
“As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. And we will indeed focus on counter-terrorism,” Trump said.
US-led forces in 2001 toppled the hardline Taliban for harboring the al Qaeda militants responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks.