NATO chief visits Afghanistan as US, Taliban to sign deal

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg was in Afghanistan on Saturday for meetings with officials as United States and Taliban were to sign a long-sought deal, alliance said.

Stoltenberg was to participate in a Kabul media conference later Saturday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, NATO statement said.

He was also to meet he of US and NATO forces in country, General Scott Miller, as well as or commanders of alliance's training mission re.

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details of deal, to be signed in Doha on Saturday, have t been disclosed, but it is expected to set terms of US to start withdrawing more than 12,000 troops it has in Afghanistan in return for commitments from Taliban.

It carries with it hopes of a fall in violence in Afghanistan after deces of conflict and opening of peace talks with Afghan government, which was excluded from direct US-Taliban negotiations. 

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