facebooktwittertelegramwhatsapp
copy short urlprintemail
+ A
A -
webmaster
dpa
Kabul
The acting US Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan arrived in the Afghan capital for an unannounced visit on Monday, meeting with top officials from NATO and the government.
Shanahan held discussions in Kabul with Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, as well as the country’s defence minister and national security advisor.
Shanahan, who took up the acting post in January after Jim Mattis stepped down, is on his first visit to Afghanistan. It comes as Washington increases pressure on the government to reach a peace deal with the Taliban after 18 years of war. The Afghan Office of the National Security Council said Hamdullah Mohib, the country’s national security advisor, had discussed the peace process with Shanahan.
“Both sides agreed & reassured that the achievements of the past 18 years of the people and the Government of Afghanistan will not go in vain after a possible successful peace deal,” it tweeted.
Shanahan was expected to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the evening. US representatives have met the Taliban for talks at least five times since July, with the last meeting held last month.
The discussions focused on two issues: The complete withdrawal of foreign troops and how to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists once again. In Kabul, Shanahan blasted earlier US media reports saying President Donald Trump was planning to drastically reduce troop levels.
“There are no orders to reduce US troop levels in Afghanistan,” he said.
There are currently around 14,000 US troops stationed in Afghanistan.
copy short url   Copy
12/02/2019
430