The U.S. has officially begun withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in accordance with the recent Taliban Peace Deal. The deal was signed on Feb. 29 and also calls for the release of Taliban and Afghan government prisoners in an effort to ease tensions between both factions.

Over the next 135 days, the U.S. military has promised to withdraw thousands of troops from the country, where it has been engaged in operations for roughly 18 years. The initial goal is to reduce troop numbers from 13,000 to 8,600. Of the troops currently deployed in Afghanistan, 8,000 work to train the Afghanistan National Security Forces. The remaining 5,000 engage in actual operations to fight terrorism.

While Afghan President Ashraf Ghani initially said that his government would not comply with the deal, he is expected to announce the impending release of 1,000 Taliban prisoners. Roughly 5,000 Taliban prisoners are reportedly being held at this time.

Taliban sources said Monday that a large number of “biometric identifications” were being done on prisoners by the Afghan government, pointing towards a large discharge of prisoners soon.

“We also welcome President Ghani’s announcement that he will issue a decree March 10 on Taliban prisoner release,” Secretary of Defense Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

The U.S. will attempt to foster talks between the country’s various factions to establish leadership and a balance of power.

The United States is keen to end its longest-ever conflict -- a US soldier is pictured in Afghanistan after a suicide attack targeted foreign troops in Jalalabad in 2014
The United States is keen to end its longest-ever conflict -- a US soldier is pictured in Afghanistan after a suicide attack targeted foreign troops in Jalalabad in 2014 AFP / Noorullah Shirzada
RELATED STORIES
Afghanistan