Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a surprise visit to Afghanistan Monday, where he tried to convince the Taliban there is no hope for them on the battlefield and to talk negotiations.
Tillerson, who is on a weeklong trip through the Middle East, India and Switzerland, met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Bagram Air Base near Kabul Monday before making the following statement.
“There are we believe moderate voices among the Taliban, voices that do not want to continue to fight forever. They don’t want their children to fight forever,” Mr. Tillerson said. “So we are looking to engage with those voices and have them engage in a reconciliation process leading to a peace process and their full involvement and participation in the government.
The Trump administration, Tillerson insisted, is dedicated to peace talks in the region. Yet, that doesn’t mean the U.S. has an “unlimited” or “blank check” commitment.
Sec. Tillerson on #Afghanistan: @POTUS has made it clear that we’re here to stay until we can secure a process of reconciliation and peace. pic.twitter.com/H3ZH66i7gA
— Department of State (@StateDept) October 23, 2017
