US defense secretary, Afghan president meet in Kabul

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul at a time when Washington is due to withdraw the last of its troops under a deal struck with the Taliban last year.

Austin arrived in Afghanistan Sunday on his first visit to the country as the top defense official of the United States.

In a statement, Afghanistan's presidential palace said Austin and Ghani discussed the peace process and concerns over rising violence in the country.

The new Pentagon chief said on Twitter he had come to "listen and learn."

I’m very grateful for my time with President @ashrafghani today. I came to Afghanistan to listen and learn. This visit has been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here with @POTUS. pic.twitter.com/ZE39tXZqvg

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) March 21, 2021

"This visit been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here with [US President Joe Biden]."

The US reached a deal with the Taliban in February last year on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban’s halting of their attacks on American forces.

Under the so-called Doha Accord, the former US administration promised to bring the number of US forces in Afghanistan to zero by May 2021.

Biden, however, said on Wednesday that it would be "tough" to meet the May 1 deadline to withdraw all the remaining troops and that his administration was consulting with allies and in the process of making a decision.

Russia on Thursday hosted a conference which was part of intensified negotiations between the Afghan government, the Taliban militant group, and the United States. The three parties had already met in Qatar’s capital to negotiate Washington's exit, about 20 years after US troops invaded the country under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has been travelling in the region in recent weeks with proposals including an interim Afghan government and a summit in Turkey to jumpstart the peace process.

Russia has said it supported the formation of an interim government in Afghanistan that will include the Taliban.

"The formation of an interim inclusive administration would be a logical solution to the problem of integrating the Taliban into the peaceful political life of Afghanistan," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on March 12.

Also in a show of support for international efforts, the head of the Afghan government's reconciliation council, Abdullah Abdullah, said Kabul wanted to speed up negotiations. He hoped for "the two sides to start their talks and discussions in a different atmosphere."

The Taliban said on Friday they are willing to see progress in the peace process but warned the US against keeping troops in Afghanistan beyond the agreed withdrawal date.

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