The United States and Taliban signed landmark peace agreement in Doha today bringing an end to the two decades old war in Afghanistan.

The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and representative of Taliban Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the agreement.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Qatari Emir, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his counterparts from seven countries and representatives from fifty countries.   

Speaking on the occasion, Leader of Taliban delegation Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar expressed full commitment to the agreement by his side.

He said as a political force we want to maintain positive relations with all neighbors, regional countries and international community who played a key role in this agreement.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said we want unity and prosperity of our country and for this reason I call upon all factions to make this deal working. 

He especially thanked Pakistan for its assistance and support in making the deal success.

He also appreciated the role of China, Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Norway, Indonesia and other countries in supporting the peace process.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his address said the agreement is true test of the effort to give peace a chance.

He said it will ensure that Afghanistan never becomes a base of terrorists again.

Mike Pompeo said reduction in violence is not perfect, but at least Taliban demonstrated that when they have the will to be peaceful, they can be.

Appreciating the US Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, he said he played a critical role in making the negotiations successful.

He urged Taliban to sit with Afghan government to determine the course for future of Afghanistan.

Earlier, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said the signing of this agreement became possible after phased negotiations and this will lead to the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

He said the state of Qatar, its leadership and people are pleased to witness the signing of peace agreement that will lead to fruitful and successful relations between the two sides.

Earlier, a joint declaration relating to Afghan peace agreement says both the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States are committed to working together to reach a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement that ends the war in Afghanistan and contributes to regional stability and global security.     

According to it, a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement will include guarantees to prevent the use of Afghan soil by any international terrorist groups or individuals against the security of the United States and its allies and a timeline for the withdrawal of all U.S. and coalition forces from Afghanistan.

Joint declaration also include a political settlement resulting from intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations between the Taliban and an inclusive negotiating team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.

Kiani/Karrar