KABUL (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Kabul on Monday on an urgent visit to try to move forward with a peace agreement signed last month by the United States with the Taliban. Pompeo made the trip despite the coronavirus pandemic, which has led other officers and officials to reduce their official travel. Since the signing of the agreement, the peace process has been paralyzed by political disputes in Afghanistan, where the two main leaders are vying for the presidency.
The president, Ashraf Ghani, and his main rival in last September’s presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, have declared the winners of the elections and held investitures this month. Pompeo was expected to try to unblock the situation, which has left the start of intra-Afghan talks with the Taliban. These talks are considered crucial for the next phase of the peace agreement, negotiated to allow the United States to withdraw its troops and give the Afghans a chance for peace. The United States and NATO have already begun withdrawing some troops from Afghanistan. The US withdrawal is not associated with the success of intra-Afghan negotiations, but in the Taliban’s promises to prevent armed groups like the extremist Islamic State from settling in the country.
