After nearly two decades of protracted war, bloodshed and all the baggage that war carries, the US and the Afghan Taliban finally signed a peace agreement on February 29, 2020 amid hopes that the country returns towards normalcy. Signed between the US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in a ceremony attended by officials from over 30 countries and organizations, the agreement came after 18 months of extensive negotiations between the US and the Taliban, not to mention numerous hurdles including a brief collapse of the process in September 2019.
The deal itself revolves around four main issues: (i) temporary ceasefire, (ii) withdrawal of foreign forces within a fourteen month period, (iii) talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, and (iv) assurances that the Taliban will not participate in or aid others in threatening the security of the US and its allies.[1]