U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan, for a surprise visit on Sunday, his first since assuming office in July.
Esper’s visit to Afghanistan comes just two days after a mosque bombing in the eastern region of the country killed at least 69 people as they gathered for Friday prayers. Esper’s visit renews a possibility that the United States could resume peace talks with the Middle Eastern nation after President Trump froze negotiations.
“I plan on meeting first with General Miller on the ground to get an update with regard to operations on the ground, the status of our troops, et cetera,” Esper said to reporters before arriving in Afghanistan. “Then I’ll be having meetings with President [Ashraf] Ghani and other officials of the Afghan government, and then I’ll be visiting with our troops and having a good discussion with them with regard to what they see, so I’m looking for — to get a really good feel for what’s happening on the ground in Afghanistan, and to talk what the way ahead may look like, as well.”
Esper and Trump have expressed hope that they’ll be able to reduce the number of troops to 8,600 through negotiations with the Afghan government. Attempted negotiations in early September to withdraw several thousand U.S. troops came to a standstill. Esper also indicated the troops that remained in Afghanistan after the reduction would likely be focused on counter-terrorism efforts.
Afghanistan remains in a serious conflict with the Taliban, who are suspected of carrying out out the Friday mosque bombing. They have not yet taken credit for the attack, instead shifting blame to an Afghan mortar crew.
“I think the aim is to still get a peace agreement at some point, a political agreement,” Esper said of the trip. “That’s the best way forward, and I’ll leave it to State Department to comment on where things stand.”
