US and Taliban may strike a deal allowing American troops to come home from Afghanistan

The Trump administration may soon strike a deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan, which could potentially begin the process of withdrawing nearly all US troops from the country after 18 years of war.

According to the Washington Post, there are two main parts of the deal. The first is that the Taliban, the brutal Islamist group that previously ruled the country, will start negotiations with the Afghan government. That’s quite the concession, as the Taliban has long refused to do that, claiming leaders in Kabul are merely US puppets.

Second, it would agree to a ceasefire in fighting against the Afghan government and renounce all its ties to al-Qaeda, the terrorist group it harbored as it planned the 9/11 attacks.

That would allow America to reduce the number of service members in the country from around 14,000 to between 8,000 and 9,000.

Nothing has been finalized yet, and it’s exceedingly possible that talks break down, experts say, especially since the Taliban has broken commitments before and isn’t a particularly trustworthy negotiating partner.

Even some of the president’s top allies, like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), have noted their skepticism. “Mr. President, keep your foot on their throat!” the senator tweeted soon after the Post story broke. “A meaningful counter-terrorism force is an insurance policy against another 9/11. Fight them there so they don’t ever come here again!”

The administration’s hope, though, remains that all sides put pen to paper before the Afghan presidential election in September. Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born top US envoy for peace talks, sounded upbeat about the progress made this week after his eighth round of talks with the Taliban.