U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with top Afghan leaders during an unannounced visit to Kabul on Friday, adding his weight to a flurry of diplomatic efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.
His trip comes a little more than a year after President Donald Trump unveiled a revamped strategy for Afghanistan that saw him commit thousands of additional U.S. forces to the country on an open-ended basis.
Fourth visit
Mr. Mattis, on his fourth visit to Afghanistan since becoming defence chief in January 2017, met with President Ashraf Ghani and the new U.S. commander for American and NATO forces, General Scott Miller. Six U.S. soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year, the most recent happening on on Monday in an apparent insider attack.
Mr. Ghani told Mr. Mattis that preventing so-called “green-on-blue” attacks, in which Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on international troops with whom they are working, was a “top national priority”.
They also discussed other issues, including the peace process, security reforms, upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, and Pakistan, according to a statement from the presidential palace.
Afghan and international players have been ratcheting up efforts to hold peace talks with the Taliban.
Speaking to reporters as he headed to Asia this week, Mr. Mattis said he had reason to hope that the Taliban may be ready for talks.
There’s “still hard fighting, but right now we have more indications that reconciliation is... no longer just a mirage”, he said, adding that Afghan security forces were now taking the fight to the enemy.
There is speculation that another meeting between U.S. and Taliban representatives could be held this month.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Islamabad on Wednesday where he said he was “hopeful” of resetting the troubled relationship with Pakistan, a key player in the Afghan conflict.