Amid peace talks, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the Taliban cannot be trusted and that his country would leave intelligence in Afghanistan.
Trump was briefed on Friday by top national security aides on a peace plan being negotiated by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad with leaders of the Afghanistan government and the Taliban.
“Nobody can be trusted,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We‘ll always have intelligence, and we’ll always have somebody there.”
US has held eight rounds of talks with the Taliban since last year and the sides are apparently close to an agreement.
The talks have focused on counterterrorism assurances, troop withdrawal, intra-Afghan talks and ceasefire.
Trump described Afghanistan as the “Harvard University of terrorism” and said if the Taliban were really right in what they’re saying, they would stop 9/11 attacks on US from happening.
“We are bringing some of our troops back. But we have to have a presence,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan would depend on conditions on the ground.
“The conversations are going well. But in the end, it will be about what’s delivered on the ground, whether that’s from the Afghan government, other Afghans that aren’t inside the Afghan government, the Taliban,” Pompeo said in an interview with CNBC.
“The truth will be in the reality. What really happens on the ground? If we can reduce violence, we’ll create a space where we can withdraw not only American support but NATO forces that are there as well,” Pompeo said.
