Pompeo Makes Surprise Stop in Afghanistan to Tout Trump Strategy
- Taliban have continued to make gains in 17-year-long war
- Top U.S. diplomat says Taliban’s momentum ‘is slowing’
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Monday, insisting that President Donald Trump’s strategy to fight the Taliban is working even as the opposition group gains ground after almost 17 years of war.
The optimistic note sounded by Pompeo and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani contrasted with security measures that were taken for his trip. Visiting officials are frequently restricted in how much of the war-torn country -- about half of which is controlled or contested by Taliban forces -- they can see. As a result, high-level trips are usually not announced in advance, as was the case with Pompeo.