U.S. and Taliban Reach Violence Reduction Agreement
Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera
We ran the numbers: There are 807 news articles covering this topic. 71% (572) are left leaning, 24% (193) center, 5% (42) right leaning.
The United States and the Taliban reached an agreement on a weeklong reduction of violence that could lead to a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
A left-leaning article by The New York Times highlights that the timing of the deal is notable, because if the seven-day period begins this weekend or early next week and holds, the agreement would be ready to sign around the time President Trump is scheduled to travel to India. The article also notes that the need for the United States to get out of Afghanistan is one of the few issues that Trump and Democratic challengers for president agree on.
Reuters published a centrist article reporting that a U.S. withdrawal agreement would be followed by negotiations regarding a political settlement between the Taliban and an Afghan delegation. However, a senior U.S. official made it clear that a full U.S. withdrawal depends on the Taliban’s ability to fulfill commitments to end their close ties with extremist groups.
A right-leaning article by Fox News reports that a U.S. official told the Associated Press the Taliban committed to a halt in roadside and suicide bombings, in addition to rocket attacks, but the U.S. would continue to monitor the truce to determine if there were any violations. A Taliban official stated that the withdrawal of foreign troops would begin gradually and be phased over 18 months.