Riyadh, Feb. 22 -- The United States is preparing to sign a deal with the Taliban on February 29, building on an agreement on reducing violence across Afghanistan, secretary of state Mike Pompeo said on Friday. "Upon a successful implementation of this understanding, signing of the US-Taliban agreement is expected to move forward," he said in a statement released after visiting Saudi Arabia. The partial truce will mark a historic step in more than 18 years of gruelling conflict in Afghanistan and would pave the way for a deal that could, ultimately, see the war end.p12...