(TKG) – U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the Taliban’s deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, according to a statement issued by the Taliban.
The deputy leader of the Taliban Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar held a 35-minute phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, March 3, saying that “if the United States honors the agreement concluded with us then we will have positive future bilateral relations, according to the Taliban’s statement.
Mullah Baradar called on Trump to “not allow anyone to take actions that violate the terms of the agreement thus embroiling you even further in this prolonged war”, according to the Taliban transcript.
Trump confirmed the call later to reporters in the White House.
“We had a very good conversation with the leader of the Taliban today,” President Trump said.
He added, “The relationship is very good that I have with the mullah. We had a good long conversation today and you know, they want to cease the violence, they’d like to cease violence also.”
The Taliban’s statement quoted Mr. Trump as saying to Mullah Baradar, “It is a pleasure to talk to you. You are a tough people and have a great country and I understand that you are fighting for your homeland. We have been there for 19 years and that is a very long time and withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan now is in the interest of everyone.
The phone conversation held on Tuesday came just a day after the militants ended a the reduction in violence meant to be the first step in a wider peace deal under a US-Taliban agreement signed Saturday.
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