Trump visits U.S. Troops In Afghanistan

Related stories

Tinubu Departs Saint Lucia, Heads to Brazil for BRICS Summit

By Abiola Olawale President Bola Ahmed Tinubu departed Saint Lucia...

2027: Drama, Intrigues as Julius Abure Tells Otti to Quit Labour Party

By Abiola Olawale In a dramatic turn of events, Barrister...

FG Secures $100m for Lagos-Calabar Project from ECOWAS Bank

By Abiola Olawale The Nigerian government has reportedly secured a...

Ex- Arsenal Star Thomas Partey Faces Rape, Sexual Assault Charges in UK

By Abiola Olawale The Metropolitan Police have formally charged former...

Edwin Cortes: Prefers Being A Small Puerto Rican Than Big American

By Owei Lakemfa To be a citizen of the United...

President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to US troops in Afghanistan – his first time in the country – for the Thanksgiving holiday.

During the brief appearance at Bagram Airfield, Mr Trump served turkey to soldiers, posed for photographs, and met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

In a speech to troops, Mr Trump said the US was in talks with the Taliban, which he said “wants to make a deal”.

Mr Trump also said the US was “substantially” reducing troop numbers.

Some 13,000 US troops remain in Afghanistan 18 years after the US intervention to oust the Taliban following the 11 September 2001 attacks.

The visit comes after a prisoner swap with the Taliban aimed at resuming peace negotiations.

Earlier this month, the Taliban freed two Western academics who had been held hostage since 2016 – American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks – in exchange for three imprisoned senior militants.

“We’re meeting with them [Taliban] and we say it has to be a ceasefire and they didn’t want to do a ceasefire and now they want to do a ceasefire,” Mr Trump said at the base near the capital, Kabul. “I believe it will probably work out that way.”

It is not clear how substantive the talks have been.

Afghan officials have long demanded a ceasefire but the Taliban, who now control more territory than at any point since they were ousted in 2001, have refused to hold direct talks with the government until a US deal is agreed.

Taliban leaders confirmed that meetings with senior US officials were being held in Doha since last weekend but that formal talks had not yet resumed, Reuters news agency reported.

Mr Trump also reaffirmed his plan to cut troop levels to about 8,600 but did not say how many personnel would leave or when. “We’re going to stay until such time as we have a deal or we have total victory, and they want to make a deal very badly.”

Upon his arrival, Mr Trump was greeted by US Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Mark Milley who, on Wednesday, said the chances of a successful outcome from peace talks were higher than before and could happen in the “near term”.

The president, who travelled with a number of aides, then served turkey to troops, sat down to eat Thanksgiving dinner with them before posing for photos.

“There is nowhere I’d rather celebrate this Thanksgiving than right here,” Mr Trump said, “with the toughest, strongest, best and bravest warriors on the face of the earth.”

President Ghani thanked the US troops who have made the “ultimate sacrifice” in Afghanistan, saying: “Afghan security forces are taking the lead now.”

Reacting to the meeting on Twitter later, Mr Ghani did not mention Mr Trump’s comments about talks with the Taliban and said: “Both sides underscored that if the Taliban are sincere in their commitment to reaching a peace deal, they must accept a ceasefire.”

There was no immediate reaction from the Taliban, and many have previously raised questions over the group’s willingness to engage in serious negotiations or whether it can be trusted.

Culled from bbc

Hamilton Nwosa
Hamilton Nwosa
Hamilton Nwosa is an experienced, and committed communication, business, administrative, data and research specialist . His deep knowledge of the intersection between communication, business, data, and journalism are quite profound. His passion for professional excellence remains the guiding principle of his work, and in the course of his career spanning sectors such as administration, tourism, business management, communication and journalism, Hamilton has won key awards. He is a delightful writer, researcher and data analyst. He loves team-work, problem-solving, organizational management, communication strategy, and enjoys travelling. He can be reached at: hamilton_68@yahoo.com

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Tinubu Departs Saint Lucia, Heads to Brazil for BRICS Summit2027: Drama, Intrigues as Julius Abure Tells Otti to Quit Labour PartyFG Secures $100m for Lagos-Calabar Project from ECOWAS BankEx- Arsenal Star Thomas Partey Faces Rape, Sexual Assault Charges in UKEdwin Cortes: Prefers Being A Small Puerto Rican Than Big AmericanJune 12 And The International Pursuit of Justice For Abiola, By Femi FalanaBreaking Down the West’s $146 Billion 2024 Defence Technology InvestmentG7 vs. the World: GDP, Population, and Military StrengthUS drillers cut oil and gas rigs for 10th week in a row, Baker Hughes saysExclusive! Tinubu Tips Late Ajimobi's Wife, Florence, Others for Ambassadorial PostsTinubu Mourns, Pays Tribute to Legendary Super Eagles Goalkeeper Peter RufaiNatasha vs Akpabio: Court Orders Senate President To Recall Senator NatashaHadi Sirika Denies Defection to ADC Coalition Rumors, Reaffirms Loyalty to Buhari, APCChina Snubs U.S. Crude for Third Month, Even as Ethane Trade RestartsHow Super Eagles Icon Peter Rufai passed Away at 61
X whatsapp