Top US commander says secret talks are underway to end Afghan war

Some factions of the Taliban are engaged in secret negotiations with the government in Kabul to bring an end to the war in Afghanistan, which has been going on for more than 16 years, a senior U.S. general said Wednesday.

In a briefing for reporters at the Pentagon, Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, cited “intensified dialogue” along with what he said was a 30 percent drop in the levels of violence as evidence President Trump’s new Afghan strategy was working to drive at least some Taliban members to the bargaining table.