WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday the upsurge in violence in Afghanistan in recent days is unacceptable and said it must cease immediately for the peace process signed last weekend to move forward.
Speaking at a news conference at the State Department, Pompeo said all sides should stop posturing and prepare for the intra-Afghan negotiations, including practical discussions about prisoner releases.
“We know that the road ahead will be difficult. We expected it, we were right. The upsurge in violence in parts of Afghanistan over the last couple of days is unacceptable. In no uncertain terms violence must be reduced immediately for the peace process to move forward,” Pompeo said.
The United States signed a deal with Taliban insurgents on Saturday that could pave the way toward a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan and represent a step toward ending the 18-year-war in the nation. Since the signing, the Taliban had decided on Monday to resume normal operations against Afghan forces, though sources have said they will continue to hold back on attacks on foreign forces. Washington in response carried an air strike on Taliban fighters in Afghanistan on Wednesday. A U.S. forces spokesman said the Taliban fighters were actively attacking an Afghan checkpoint and the strike was a defensive one.
The US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad on Thursday met with Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar after differences emerged over the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners.
Zalmay Khalilzad taking to Twitter said that Washington is committed to facilitating prisoner exchange between the Afghan government and Taliban group.
“I met Mullah Baradar and his team last night for a candid discussion about next steps, followed by a constructive phone call with President Donald Trump. We all agreed the purpose of the US-Taliban agreement is to pave the path to a comprehensive peace in #Afghanistan,” Khalilzad said in a Twitter post.
Khalilzad further added “Increasing violence is a threat to the peace agreement and must be reduced immediately. In addition to discussing the need to decrease violence, we also talked about the exchange of prisoners.”–Agencieas
