The bombing at the mosque follows several bloody months in Afghanistan. The United Nations said civilian casualties rose 42 percent from July 1 to Sept. 30, from the same period last year. https://t.co/HyrLguuxiO
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper arrived as the U.S. considers reviving peace talks with the Taliban.
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff @ NYTimes.com, Oct. 20, updated 11:06 am
KABUL, Afghanistan — Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper traveled to Afghanistan on Sunday, in his first visit to the country since being confirmed as Pentagon chief amid uncertainty about the administration’s strategy following the collapse of peace talks with the Taliban.
His unannounced trip came weeks after the lead American negotiator during the talks, Zalmay Khalilzad, met informally with Taliban leaders in Islamabad, Pakistan, raising the possibility that negotiations might eventually resume.
“The aim is to still get a peace agreement at some point, a political agreement. That is the best way forward,” Mr. Esper said, according to a report from Reuters.
Ending the war in Afghanistan has been a focus for President Trump since he took office, and Mr. Khalilzad and Taliban negotiators finalized a deal “in principle” in September that laid out plans to make that happen [....]
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For those with NYT subscriptions instead:
by artappraiser on Sun, 10/20/2019 - 4:34pm
And there's this today: Pentagon Chief Makes Unannounced Visit to Afghanistan
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper arrived as the U.S. considers reviving peace talks with the Taliban.
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff @ NYTimes.com, Oct. 20, updated 11:06 am
by artappraiser on Sun, 10/20/2019 - 4:42pm