KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have agreed on the need for stepping up the Afghan peace process.
During a phone call , Pompeo informed Ghani that President Donald Trump's South Asia strategy remained unchanged.
The State Department said on Thursday the Trump administration stayed committed to a conditions-based drawdown from the conflict-devastated country.
A statement from the State Department said the two leaders vowed to step up efforts to end almost two decades of war in Afghanistan.
"Good conversation with President @AshrafGhani. We agreed that now is the time to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the war. All parties must lead to move the #AfghanPeaceProcess forward," Pompeo tweeted.
Pompeo told Ghani he had sent Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Special Representative Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad to Kabul to discuss the next steps on the road to peace.
Ghani confirmed Afghanistan's commitment to working together with the United States to achieve a stable, peaceful and democratic Afghanistan free of terrorism.
Earlier in the week, Ghani had sought clarifications following President Trump's remarks that he had a plan that could win the war in Afghanistan “in a week,” but he didn't "want to kill 10 million people." (Pajhwok)