US defence chief in Kabul as Biden faces pressure over Afghan peace deal

KABUL • US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin paid an unannounced visit to Afghanistan yesterday, the Pentagon said, holding talks with President Ashraf Ghani less than a week after President Joe Biden said it would be "tough" to meet a May 1 deadline for a complete troop withdrawal from the country.

Mr Austin's visit came as Mr Biden was under pressure over whether to abide by the peace deal reached during his predecessor Donald Trump's final year aimed at bringing home the roughly 2,500 American troops still in the country by May 1.

It is a deadline that Mr Biden has said "could happen", but would be "tough" to meet.

"I'm in the process of making that decision now as to when they'll leave," Mr Biden had told ABC News. "That was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president - the former president - worked out."

The declaration prompted outrage from Taleban insurgents, who warned that Washington would be "responsible for the consequences".

Mr Austin last month pledged a "thoughtful and deliberate" review of US strategy in Afghanistan, saying there would be "no surprises" for the Afghan government or allies with troops in the country.

A deal reached last year provided the opportunity to wind down the US role, but on condition that violence declined, the Taleban pledged to bar terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from operating in the country, and the government and the Taleban entered productive peace talks.

The Taleban, on the cusp of seeing foreign forces depart, largely held off on attacking Americans. But despite last year's accord, the security situation in Afghanistan is worsening.

Violence has risen since the peace talks started last September, including targeted killings of journalists, civil society members and politicians.

Last year, 8,820 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded, according to the United Nations.

Previous peace efforts between the Taleban insurgents and Mr Ghani's government in Doha, Qatar, have made little headway, with the two sides taking months even to agree on the basic outline of the talks.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said in a letter to Mr Ghani that even with continued US financial aid, "the Taleban could make rapid territorial gains" if the US withdraws and there is no agreement reached between the Afghan government and the Taleban.

Mr Austin's stop in Afghanistan came after a trip that took him to Japan, South Korea and India.

BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE