Pentagon leader in Kabul as peace negotiations stall

KABUL — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Sunday in Kabul on his first trip to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, amid swirling questions about how long American troops will remain in the country.

Austin met with senior Afghan government officials, including President Ashraf Ghani. According to the Washington Post, which was among the small group of U.S. media traveling with him, Austin said senior U.S. officials want to see “a responsible end to this conflict” and “a transition to something else.”

“There’s always going to be concerns about things one way or the other, but I think there is a lot of energy focused on doing what is necessary to bring about a responsible end and a negotiated settlement to the war,” Austin said.

President Biden said last week in an ABC News interview that it will be “tough” for the U.S. to meet a May 1 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. But he said that if the deadline, which is laid out in an agreement between former President Donald Trump’s administration and the Taliban, is extended, it wouldn’t be by a “lot longer.”

In response, the Taliban on Friday warned of consequences if the U.S. doesn’t meet the deadline. Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban negotiating team, told reporters that if U.S. troops stay beyond May 1, “it will be a kind of violation of the agreement. That violation would not be from our side. … Their violation will have a reaction.”

Austin met with Ghani and according to a statement released by the presidential palace both sides condemned the increase in violence in Afghanistan. There was no mention of the May 1 deadline. Washington is reviewing the agreement the Trump administration signed with the Taliban last year and has been stepping up pressure on both sides in the protracted conflict to find a swift route to a peace agreement.

In a sharply worded letter to Ghani earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it is urgent to make peace in Afghanistan and all options remain on the table. He also warned that it is likely the Taliban would make swift territorial gains if U.S. and NATO troops withdrew. United States spends $4 billion a year to sustain Afghanistan’s National Security Forces.