China and Russia agree with United States on Afghanistan troop withdrawal
- Envoys from Moscow, Beijing and Washington back call for ‘Afghan-led’ peace process
The United States on Friday agreed with rivals Russia on China on a goal of withdrawing foreign forces from Afghanistan, a key component of a peace deal being negotiated by Washington.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy negotiating with the Taliban, met Russian and Chinese representatives in Moscow to try to reach an international consensus to end the war.
A joint statement by the three countries called for an “inclusive Afghan-led” peace process and outlined many of the key points expected to feature in an eventual deal.
“The three sides call for an orderly and responsible withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan as part of the overall peace process,” the statement issued by the US State Department said.
It also said the Taliban had made a “commitment” to fight the extremist Islamic State group and sever ties to al-Qaeda.
The Taliban had promised to “ensure the areas they control will not be used to threaten any other country”, the statement said, calling on them to prevent any “terrorist recruiting, training and fundraising”.