U.S. agrees to reduce Afghanistan troops in deal with Taliban

The Trump administration has agreed to withdraw up to 6,000 of its remaining 14,000 troops from Afghanistan in a deal with the Taliban, in exchange for a cease-fire and renunciation of al Qaeda, The Washington Post reports. The terms, if approved, would amount to an initial accord on ending the 18-year war in the country.

"I would say that they are 80 or 90 percent of the way there," one official said. "But there is still a long way to go on that last 10 or 20 percent." Some U.S. and Afghan officials are expected to approach the deal with skepticism, as they question the Taliban's trustworthiness. The deal was struck after months of negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan-born U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad.

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