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The deal, which took months of negotiations, still requires President Trump's approval, Reuters reports. Afghan President Ashram Ghani has been briefed on the accord and will reportedly look it over in detail before weighing in.
If signed, the deal will prohibit the Taliban from allowing militants to use Afghanistan to plan attacks on the United States or its allies, Reuters reported. The agreement also includes a provision for "intra-Afghan" talks to end the conflict between the Taliban and Kabul's western-backed government.
Ghani has met with special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and plans to "study and assess" the specifics of the agreement, according to Reuters.
A spokesman told reporters that "for us, a meaningful peace or a path to a meaningful peace is the end of violence and direct negotiation with the Taliban."
However, according to a report by the New York Times, some White House advisers have proposed secretly expanding the CIA presence in Afghanistan if troops are withdrawn. Some officials told the paper they want CIA-backed forces in the country as part of a counterterrorism force. They claim it could quell concerns that the US will be left with little ability to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base of operations. The Times said it based the report off interviews with a half-dozen of current or former officials briefed on the discussions yet neither the CIA nor the White House confirmed the reports.
The 11 appointments amounted to a meager one-fifth of the 50 meetings, calls and other events at City Hall on de Blasio's calendar for May 2018. He had a total 152 city events scheduled for the month. -New York Post"If he's trying to show New Yorkers that he's over doing the job, he's doing a good job of it," one ex-aide told the Post, while another 'de Blasio insider' called the Mayor's attendance "real bad," adding "At this point, you've got to wonder how much of his heart is really in it."
Comment: And for an idea of where the terrorists are getting all these supplies, see: Islamic State weapons in Yemen traced back to US government: Serbia files (part 1)
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