Washington (dpa) - Foreign troops in Afghanistan are to be withdrawn completely by the spring of next year following the US agreement with the Taliban. The deployment to the Hindu Kush would also end for the Bundeswehr after more than 19 years.

The prerequisite is that the agreement signed in Doha on Saturday does not fail. US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday (local time) in the White House that he would meet with Taliban leaders personally “in the not too distant future”. He gave no information about the place and the time.

When asked when US withdrawal would begin, Trump said: “Today. You will start immediately. » Trump warned the Taliban that if they did not keep their promises in the agreement, the United States would "return with a force never seen before." At a joint press conference in Afghanistan with President Aschraf Ghani and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Kabul , Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the United States would not hesitate to annul the agreement if the Islamist militants violated it.

In the presence of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, US and Taliban officials signed an agreement in Qatar's Gulf Emirate in Doha on Saturday to pave the way for peace and an end to US-led military operations in Afghanistan. Among other things, the Taliban are committed to ensuring that Afghanistan does not pose a terrorist threat to the United States and its allies.

The militant Islamists also promise talks with the Afghan government that the agreement will result in a permanent ceasefire and a political road map for the future of Afghanistan. These negotiations are scheduled to start on March 10th. According to the US government , they are to take place in the Norwegian capital, Oslo . 

The USA pledges to reduce the number of its soldiers from the current 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days. The number of international troops is expected to decrease proportionally. Five bases are to be closed during this period. If the agreement holds, all foreign troops should withdraw within 14 months - i.e. by the end of April next year.

This would meet one of the Taliban's core demands, which have been demanding the withdrawal of foreign invaders for many years. Germany is involved in the NATO training mission in Afghanistan with around 1200 soldiers.

Pompeo said after the signing: «The Taliban have now committed to break with Al Qaeda. That is historical. » He added that the militant Islamists had also committed to further reducing the level of violence. "You have to keep these promises." However, the public part of the agreement does not include a Taliban commitment to reduce attacks and attacks before a ceasefire. US government officials said parts of the agreement remained secret. However, these did not include any USA obligations.

The agreement was signed by the US special envoy for reconciliation in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the head of the Taliban political office in Doha, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, at a solemn ceremony in front of around 300 invited guests. Pompeo said at the event that the agreement was a "real test" for efforts to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan. "We are only at the beginning," he emphasized. "A significant reduction in violence will create the conditions for peace, and the absence thereof will create the conditions for failure." 

Afghan President Ghani said: "Today can be a moment to overcome the past." He thanked US President Donald Trump for his efforts. Stoltenberg said: "This is a victory for peace and a victory for the Afghan people." Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said it was crucial that the Taliban further reduce violence. The agreement is “a long-awaited chance for a peace process”. Germany is ready to significantly support such an intra-Afghan process.

The US-led military operation in Afghanistan was triggered by the attacks of September 11, 2001. The United States blamed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden for the attacks in New York and Washington . The Taliban regime refused to extradite Bin Laden. After the invasion of the US-led troops, the regime fell at the end of 2001. Meanwhile, the militant Islamists are again controlling large parts of Afghanistan. Bin Laden was killed in an operation by US special forces in Pakistan in May 2011 .

The agreement was received with mixed feelings by the Afghan people themselves. Women in particular expressed concern that a Taliban return to power initiated by the agreement could mean massive cuts in their rights. During the Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, the Islamists ruled with great brutality according to their harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Freedom of expression was severely restricted and women were excluded from public life.