US President Donald Trump said Sunday he would sign a peace deal with the Taliban if one were eventually reached in Afghanistan. "Yes," he told reporters at the White House as he prepared to depart on a trip to India. "I would put my name on it."
His comments came after a partial truce took effect in Afghanistan on Saturday, with the Taliban, US, and Afghan forces agreeing to a week-long "reduction in violence." The truce was intended to set conditions for Washington and the insurgents to sign a deal in Doha on February 29 that could ultimately lead to a withdrawal of US forces after more than 18 years.
Trump was not specific about what document he would be willing to sign but said decisions were contingent on progress during the initial truce. He said the cooling off period has "been holding up. It's a day and a half. We'll see what happens."
"I want to see how this period of a week works out," he said. "If it works out over the next less-than-a-week, I would put my name on it. Time to come home. And they want to stop," he said. "I think the Taliban want to make a deal too. They're tired of fighting."
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