Trump cancels peace talks with Taliban over attack
(VOVWORLD) - US President Donald Trump announced Saturday he had canceled a planned secret meeting with leaders of the Taliban and Afghanistan's president at Camp David and called off negotiations with the insurgent group after Taliban leadership claimed credit for a deadly attack killing 12 in Kabul.
Trump said that the Taliban had admitted to the suicide car bombing “in order to build false leverage”.
Earlier, Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack near the headquarters of Afghanistan’s NATO force and the US embassy, in which 12 civilians have been killed and 40 injured.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said the US remains willing to sign an Afghanistan peace agreement with the Taliban. Under the draft peace accord, the US would withdraw almost 5,000 troops from Afghanistan and close five bases within 4 and a half months. In exchange for the phased withdrawal, the Taliban would commit not to allow Afghanistan to be used by militant groups such as al Qaeda or Islamic State as a base for attacks on the US and its allies.