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Donald Trump confirms having 'good conversation' with Taliban leader

This comes three days after the United States and Taliban signed a historic agreement with an aim to bring peace to Afghanistan by the withdrawal of US forces

The Doha deal includes a commitment to swap 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by the government for 1,000 captives, but president Ashraf Ghani has said the US has no authority to negotiate such an exchange

The Taliban disclosed Trump's phone call with its leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's chief negotiator and one of its founding members, before the White House did

ANI US

Amid reports that the Taliban had resumed violence in Afghanistan just days after the US and Taliban signed a historic agreement in Qatar, President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) confirmed that he had spoken with the Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar over the phone.

"I did. I spoke to the leader of the Taliban today. We had a good conversation. We've agreed there's no violence. We don't want violence. We'll see what happens. They're dealing with Afghanistan, but we'll see what happens," Trump said as he departed the White House.

According to USA Today, the Taliban disclosed Trump's phone call with its leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's chief negotiator and one of its founding members, before the White House did.

 

This comes three days after the United States and Taliban signed a historic agreement with an aim to bring peace to Afghanistan by the withdrawal of US forces.

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First Published: Mar 04 2020 | 6:59 AM IST

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