Taliban welcome Trump tweet on withdrawing troops from Afghanistan by Christmas

KABUL: The Taliban on Thursday welcomed an announcement by President Donald Trump on pulling out U.S. troops by Christmas.

It was “a positive step towards the implementation of (the) Doha agreement,” a spokesman for the Islamist group, Mohammad Naeem, said in a statement.

Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday: “We should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!”

The Doha agreement, signed between the U.S. and Taliban in February, drew up plans to pull out foreign forces from Afghanistan after two decades of war, in exchange for security guarantees from the insurgent group.

American troops to be out of Afghanistan by Christmas, claims President Trump

However, that agreement said U.S. troops would be out of Afghanistan in 18 months, provided the Taliban honored a commitment to fight terrorist groups, with most attention seemingly focused on the Islamic State group’s affiliate in the country.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said Trump’s statement was welcome and he considered it a positive step for the implementation of the peace agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban.

The Taliban are “committed to the contents of the agreement and hope for good and positive relations with all countries, including the U.S, in the future,” he told AP.

Trump’s surprise tweet late Wednesday came as the Taliban and the Afghan government-appointed negotiating team are holding historic peace talks in Doha, Qatar.