US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha, where he is expected to hold separate talks with each of the negotiating delegations of the Taliban and the Afghan government participating in the Afghan peace negotiations in Qatar.
Pompeo held talks at the Pearl Palace in Doha with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and then with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.
Hours before his arrival in Doha from Abu Dhabi, at least 8 people were killed in the Afghan capital, Kabul, which was rocked by a series of powerful explosions caused by rockets that fell near the Green Zone, which includes embassies and international companies' headquarters.
Amid the continuing violence, the US State Department said late Friday that Pompeo would meet separately in Doha, where the Afghan government and the Taliban have been conducting peace negotiations since last September.
Pompeo (left), the foreign minister met with Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani (Reuters)
The US Secretary of State is currently on a tour that includes 7 countries in Europe and the Middle East, including the UAE, to conclude it in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
And the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced - on Tuesday - the withdrawal of about two thousand additional US soldiers from Afghanistan by January 15, that is, 5 days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
This speeded up the timetable established according to the agreement signed last February between Washington and the Taliban, which provides for a complete withdrawal of forces by mid-2021. Thus, the number of American forces in this country will be 2,500.