▶️ U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Defense Minister Asadullah Khalid in Kabul, Sunday, October 20, while on an unannounced trip to Afghanistan.
👉 "The aim is to still get a peace agreement at some point, a political agreement, that is the best way forward," Esper told reporters traveling with him Sunday.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly called off yearlong U.S.-Taliban talks just when the two adversaries had come close to signing a peace agreement that could have ended the 18-year-old Afghan war, America’s longest overseas military intervention.
Trump declared the peace process “dead," citing continued insurgent deadly attacks on Afghan civilians and American troops in Afghanistan.
Esper's arrival in Kabul came as Afghan government leaders delayed the announcement of the results of last month's presidential election.
Both Ghani and his main contender, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, have said they believe they had enough votes to win.
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