US army chief, President Ghani discuss Afghan-owned peace process, Kabul's plans for self-sufficiency

KABUL - The chief of staff of the United States army, General Mark A. Milley, paid an unannounced visit to Afghan capital and held a meeting with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Thursday, according to a statement of the Presidential Palace.

General Mark A. Milley also met with some of Ghani’s cabinet ministers in Kabul.

https://twitter.com/ARG_AFG/status/1080851298529017857

Presidential Palace said in a statement that in this meeting, the two sides discussed the “positive impacts” of the US strategy on Afghanistan and South Asia, an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and plans for moving the country towards self-reliance.

According to the statement, President Ghani said in the meeting that the Afghan government has taken required reform plans on hand and that it is moving in the right direction.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/world/afghan-leader-replaces-top-security-chiefs-in-major-shake-up/

The top US general's visit to Afghanistan took place in the wake of President Donald Trump's announcement to drawdown troops deployed in the war-torn country by half. There are at least 14,000 forces in Afghanistan who are engaged in counterterror as well as train and advise mission for their Afghan counterparts.

The Taliban outfit has repeatedly rejected to hold talks on peace with the Afghan government in the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.