Washington seeks UNSC backing for peace deal with Taliban

The United States is seeking UN Security Council backing for the peace deal it signed with the Taliban aimed at ending America’s longest war and bringing US troops home from Afghanistan. A US draft resolution would welcome the February 28 announcement of the agreement, AP reported, citing the document.

It would also encourage “the sustained support” of the UN for efforts including the convention of “intra-Afghan negotiations in order to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.”

According to the US-Taliban deal, peace talks between the warring Afghan sides are supposed to begin on March 10. However, the government in Kabul has already rejected releasing Taliban prisoners ahead of launching the talks, a precondition that the militants say was part of the US agreement.