You are tough people; I understand you are fighting for your homeland: Trump to Taliban

Days after the United States signed a peace accord with the Taliban and paving a way for the foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, US President Donald Trump spoke a senior official of the insurgents' group.

"You are a tough people and have a great country and I understand that you are fighting for your homeland. We have been there for 19 years and that is a very long time and withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan now is in the interest of everyone," Trump told Abdul Ghani Baradarduring the first direct exchange between the US leadership and the Taliban leadership.

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"We had a good conversation. We've agreed there's no violence. We don't want violence. We'll see what happens. They're dealing with Afghanistan, but we'll see what happens," Trump said in an official statement after the phone call.

The latest development comes days after the United States and Taliban signed a historic agreement to bring peace to Afghanistan by the withdrawal of US forces from the war-torn country, provided the militants open talks with Kabul and fulfil their other promises.

The Taliban swept to power in 1996 with a hardline interpretation of Islamic sharia law, banning women from working, closing girls' schools, and forbidding music and other entertainment.

Since the US-led invasion that ousted them after the September 11, 2001 attacks, America has spent more than $1 trillion on fighting and rebuilding in the country.

About 2,400 US soldiers have been killed, along with tens of thousands of Afghan troops, civilians and Taliban fighters.