Wind down 18-year war US, Afghan Taliban sign peace deal.

DOHA -- US officials and Taliban representatives have signed a final peace deal after months of negotiations in Qatar's capital to end the United States's longest war, fought in Afghanistan. Saturday's agreement, signed in Doha in the presence of leaders from Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, will pave the way for the United States to gradually withdraw its troops. The two sides have long wrangled over the US demand for a ceasefire before the final peace agreement was signed. Earlier on Saturday, the Taliban ordered all its fighters to halt fighting and "refrain from attacks". Mohammed Naeem, a Taliban representative in Doha, described the deal as "a step forward". "With this deal comes the end of war in Afghanistan," he told Al Jazeera. Troop withdrawal Minutes before the deal was signed, a joint statement released by the US and theAfghan government said the US and NATO troops would withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months. About 14,000 US troops and approximately 17,000 troopsfrom 39 NATO allies and partner countries are stationed in Afghanistan in a non-combatant role. "The United States will reduce the number of US military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in the US-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement," the joint statement said. It added that the Afghan government will engage with the United Nations Security Council "to remove Taliban members from sanctions list by May 29". The talks were launched...