Afghan Army soldiers patrolling in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, earlier this month.
Photo: ghulamullah habibi/Shutterstock/euroupean pressphoto agencyMUNICH—The U.S. government and the Afghan Taliban have agreed to the first step of a peace deal, a senior Trump administration official said Friday, a major milestone after months of talks over ending a war that has gone on for more than 18 years.
U.S. and Taliban officials agreed to what negotiators call a reduction in violence over an initial seven-day period, the official said, adding it would begin “very soon.”
The U.S. military will monitor the progress of the violence reduction, the official said. If successful, the period of reduced violence is intended to lead to talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government and to a reduction of U.S. force levels. There are about 13,000 U.S. troops now in the country.
The official said the U.S. has been renewing its efforts to reach an agreement ever since President Trump called off talks with the Taliban in September.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mr. Trump on Thursday expressed optimism that work on a peace deal could begin. The senior official on Friday acknowledged the existence potential “spoilers” of any agreement.
“[H]aving a military presence in Afghanistan is not an end in itself for the United States,” the senior administration official said.
The reduction-in-violence agreement covers elements such as roadside bombs, suicide bombs and rocket attacks, the U.S. official said. The agreement spans the entire country and encompasses forces of the Afghan government, the official added, crediting Mr. Trump for getting the Taliban to agree to these terms.
The U.S. official said the agreement includes “specific commitments by the Talibs with regard to concerns of the United States”—terrorism chief among them. A senior U.S. defense official familiar with Afghanistan said counterterrorism operations would continue through the initial one-week period.
—Nancy A. Youssef in Munich contributed to this article.
Write to Courtney McBride at courtney.mcbride@wsj.com
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