TILLERSON MEETS WITH AFGHAN, IRAQI LEADERS
Secret trip nets long day of diplomacy
BAGHDAD • Far from the Washington murmurs about his future, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson secretly travelled to two of America’s enduring war zones Monday, prodding leaders in Afghanistan and Iraq to reach out to longtime rivals.
Tillerson flew on a C-17 military transport plane from Qatar into Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, where he met President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan leaders. After returning to Qatar, he departed for Baghdad for talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for the second time in as many days. They discussed healing a Kurdish fight with the central government, accelerating postIslamic State reconstruction projects for Iraq’s liberated towns and cities, and more.
For Tillerson, the journey to a pair of the world’s most dangerous countries represented an escape from a bruising few weeks of political scrutiny at home. The former Exxon Mobil CEO has been on the defensive since reports claimed he called his boss, President Donald Trump, a “moron” after a contentious national security meeting this summer.
Tillerson slipped out of Doha before dawn. Few outside his inner circle were aware of the plans. Only a few journalists were allowed to accompany him. He spent about 21/2 hours in Afghanistan.
His primary message: support for a declaration that some Taliban leaders could join Afghanistan’s government if they renounce violence and terrorism and commit to stability. He also bluntly warned neighbouring Pakistan to step up action against militant groups that find haven within its borders.
“Clearly, we have to continue to fight against the Taliban, against others, in order for them to understand they will never win a military victory,” Tillerson said at Bagram, where he met Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other senior Afghan officials. “And there are, we believe, moderate voices among the Taliban, voices that do not want to continue to fight forever. They don’t want their children to fight forever. So we are looking to engage with those voices.”
Tillerson outlined the Trump administration’s new policy for Afghanistan and its region, which centres on defeating extremist organizations that might threaten the United States. The new strategy incorporates goals for Pakistan and India, too, both of which he’ll visit this week.
Hours later, Tillerson dealt with different security problems in Iraq. The Arab country has scored major, U.S.-backed military successes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but is reeling from its own ethnic and religious divisions. The most recent: a resurgent Kurdish independence movement in northern Iraq.
“We did not support the Kurdish independence referendum,” Tillerson said in Doha on Sunday, before visiting Baghdad the next day. “We did not believe it was time given that the battle to defeat ISIS is still underway.”