Pentagon acting chief arrives in Afghanistan

KABUL: Acting Pentagon Chief Patrick Shanahan arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit on Monday as the United States leads a push for peace talks with the Taliban.

Shanahan will meet President Ashraf Ghani, who has warned against rushing into a deal after Washington held major talks with Taliban officials in Qatar last month that negotiators hope could herald a breakthrough in the grinding 17-year conflict.

US President Donald Trump is pushing to end US involvement in Afghanistan, where 14000 American troops are still deployed, raising Afghan fears that Washington could exit before securing a lasting peace between the Taliban and the Kabul government.

Shanahan told reporters earlier that he had no instructions from Washington to begin a withdrawal, however “I have not been directed to step down our forces in Afghanistan,” Shanahan said. “I think the presence we want in Afghanistan is what assures our homeland defence and supports regional stability.” He said it was crucial Kabul, whose representatives were not at the talks in Qatar, was involved in discussions over the future of Afghanistan. “The Afghans have to decide what Afghanistan looks like in the future. It´s not about the US, it´s about Afghanistan,” Shanahan said.