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Trump makes surprise Afghanistan trip, voices hope for ceasefire

Published 11/28/2019, 04:22 PM
Updated 11/28/2019, 04:22 PM
Trump makes surprise Afghanistan trip, voices hope for ceasefire

Trump makes surprise Afghanistan trip, voices hope for ceasefire

By Humeyra Pamuk and Idrees Ali

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - President Donald Trump made a surprise Thanksgiving visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan on Thursday and said he believed Taliban insurgents would agree to a ceasefire in America's longest war.

Trump's visit was his first to Afghanistan since becoming president and came a week after a prisoner swap between Washington and Kabul that has raised hopes for a long elusive peace deal.

"The Taliban wants to make a deal and we are meeting with them," Trump told reporters after arriving in Afghanistan after an overnight flight from the United States, kept secret for security reasons.

"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, I believe. It will probably work out that way."

Taliban leaders have told Reuters that the group has again been holding meetings with senior U.S. officials in Doha since last weekend, adding they could soon resume formal peace talks.

The Air Force One presidential plane touched down at Bagram Airfield late in the evening on Thursday, with White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien, a small group of aides and Secret Service agents. Two surveillance blimps flew overhead.

Trump met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and served turkey to some U.S. troops before sitting down to eat Thanksgiving dinner with them. He chatted and had his picture taken with some of the U.S. forces deployed there.

"What a great job you do. It's an honor to be here," he said.

RARE WAR ZONE VISIT

It was only the second trip to a war zone by a U.S. president who never served in the military and has often derided U.S. engagement in foreign conflicts as costly blunders. He traveled to Iraq in 2018 for a Christmas holiday visit with troops.

Trump was greeted upon his arrival by U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley said on Wednesday that a successful outcome from peace talks on ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan could happen in the "near term."

Trump has wanted to end U.S. involvement in Afghanistan since his days as a presidential candidate.

But talks between the Taliban and the United States collapsed in September after Trump called off a planned meeting with Taliban leaders at the U.S. Camp David presidential retreat, citing a surge in Taliban violence.

The U.S. military says it has ramped up strikes and raids on the Taliban since then, in a bid to pressure the insurgents back to the negotiating table.

Hopes for peace rose earlier this month, when the Taliban released American and Australian hostages.

But Ghani underscored the need for a halt in the fighting, saying on Twitter after meeting Trump: "If the Taliban are sincere in their commitment to reaching a peace deal, they must accept a ceasefire."

TRUMP EYES DEAL 'OR TOTAL VICTORY'

There are currently about 13,000 U.S. forces as well as thousands of other NATO troops in Afghanistan, 18 years after an invasion by a U.S.-led coalition following the Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

About 2,400 U.S. service members have been killed in the course of the Afghan conflict.

A draft accord agreed in September would have thousands of American troops withdrawn in exchange for guarantees that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for militant attacks on the United States or its allies.

Still, many U.S. officials doubt the Taliban could be relied upon to prevent al Qaeda from again plotting attacks against the United States from Afghan soil.

The U.S. military has said it can go down to 8,600 troops and still carry out an essential counter-terrorism mission in a country where both al Qaeda and Islamic State fighters would continue to pose a threat even after any Taliban peace deal.

Trump acknowledged U.S. troop levels were "substantially" coming down but did not provide a specific number.

At the same time, however, Trump suggested he was willing to have U.S. forces stay in Afghanistan for the long-term, if needed.

"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," Trump said.

Latest comments

if Melania shows up, they can Google her nudes, and look at her Turkey
Trump is a disgrace to. the military standing saluting for a fallen soldier. He dodged military service, no military experience he does not have the right to salute. His hand should be over his heart, if he had one.
Us Forces was stay for More Defeats.
what are you talking about
he is talking anout taliban slaughter Anerican soldiers in the middle of the peace talk. Yet US still has to beg taliban for peace in order to cut its loss
If you listen to our president, the whole world is dying to make a deal with him. And they always want it "badly" or "very badly". People can't think of anything else from the moment they wake up. Seriously.
No one wants to get fired!  Hence, a cease-fire!
Its always a good bargaining position when you have more to offer in a deal than your counter party. He knows how great America is and refuses to make a deal if it doesnt benefit the Americans that he wirks for. I love it. About time we had a leader who doesnt allow America to be taken advantage of with these ridiculous deals that we have made with other nations across the globe over the past 75 years. If you dont like the way he talks, fine. What matters is what gets done. He has completely revamped NAFTA, which was bad for America; reworking trade with China, which has been horrendous for decades with hundreds of billions a year being lost to China; abolished the Iranian deal which was the most egregious pact ever signed by Obama, regardless of how many other nations signed onto the terrible deal; pulled out of the climate change accord which was nothing but pu punishment. All actions were good for America, and will ultimately be good for everyone else too. Actions are more important
The moment US out, Taliban takes over. It is a cant win war.
Hope his bone spurs don't flair up!
china is not far from there! maybe he'll meet Xi in Vietnam or so for the phase 1 deal
It's just a waste of time
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