U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hopes for a peace deal with the Taliban "before September 1,” as he spoke to reporters in Kabul during an unannounced visit to the Afghan capital on June 25.
Pompeo met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other high-level Afghan officials as well as General Scott Miller, who leads NATO's Resolute Support Mission and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.
Pompeo said peace was Washington’s “highest priority” in Afghanistan.
"I hope we have a peace deal before September 1, that's certainly our mission set," Pompeo said.
The United States began a fresh push last September to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table to end the Afghan war.
Pompeo’s visit to Kabul comes ahead of a seventh round of peace talks between Taliban leaders and U.S. officials. The next round of talks is scheduled to begin on June 29 in Doha.
The talks will focus on working out a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan and on a Taliban guarantee that militants will not plot attacks from Afghan soil.
"All sides agree that finalizing a U.S.-Taliban understanding on terrorism and foreign troop presence will open the door to intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiation," Pompeo said.
Pompeo stopped over on his way to New Delhi for meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials. He arrived in Kabul from the Middle East where he held talks with Saudi and United Arab Emirates leaders on the ongoing Iran crisis.
U.S. Secretary Of State Makes Unannounced Visit To Afghanistan
Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Romanian Village Evacuated After Russian Drone Strikes LPG Ship In Danube
2Ukraine Strikes Petrochemical Plant Deep Inside Russia Amid Escalating Long-Range Attacks
3Zelenskyy Vows Energy Sector Overhaul, Signs Gas Deal With Greece
4Ukrainian Battalion Officer Held After Russian Strike Killed 19 During Ceremony
5Russian Envoy Says US, Russia, And Ukraine Are Close To A 'Diplomatic Solution' To War In Ukraine
6Russian Troops Reported Inside Pokrovsk As Ukraine Says Forces Hold City's Defenses
7Russia Hits Ukraine With Overnight Attack As Fighting Intensifies in Pokrovsk
8Ukraine's Energy Sector Under Investigation By Anti-Corruption Watchdog
9Trump And Central Asia Reach Critical Minerals Deal At Washington Summit
10Ukraine Says It Hits Russian Black Sea Oil Facility, Gets Extra Patriot Systems
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
