KABUL – Mike Pompeo In Afghanistan To Meet Afghan Leadership. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Monday, arrived in Kabul. It was an unannounced visit to help salvage the historic deal between US and the Taliban.
According to details, Pompeo will meet President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah. Both the men contested for presidential elections in September last year. Raising the prospect of parallel governments that has paralysed selection of negotiating teams for talks. Mike Pompeo In Afghanistan To Meet Afghan Leadership.
Experts are watching this visit closely for clues regarding the political deadlock in Afghanistan. Pompeo will meet both President Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah. A row over the release of prisoners has hampered mediation progress between Taliban and Afghan government. It was not a party to the US-Taliban deal signed in Doha. The deal signed on February 29 aimed to pave the way for the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government. This also includes a pact to withdraw foreign troops that would effectively end the United States longest war engagement.
Pompeo’s visit comes at a time when much of the global travel is shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has infected more than 300,000 and killed more than 14,000 globally.