US defence secy meets Afghan Prez Ghani in Kabul

This is Esper's first trip to Kabul after taking office as defense secretary and after Trump abruptly ended peace talks with the terrorist group. This visit aims to get a peace agreement between the two countries at some point.

Kabul: US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper on Sunday met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and defence minister Asadullah Khalid in Kabul.

This is Esper's first trip to Kabul after taking office as defense secretary and after Trump abruptly ended peace talks with the terrorist group.

Esper told reporters traveling with him that he believed the US could reduce its force in Afghanistan to 8,600 without hurting the counterterrorism fight against al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.

Afghanistan has 14,000 American troops as per part of the US-led coalition. Trump had ordered a troop withdrawal in conjunction with the peace talks.

"The aim is to still get a peace agreement at some point, that's the best way forward," said Esper.

US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has brokered a preliminary peace deal with the Taliban. However, the surge in Taliban violence and the death of an American soldier last month prompted Trump to cancel a secret Camp David meeting where the agreement would have been finalized.

Both Ghani and his current partner in the unity government, chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, have said they believe they had enough votes to win.