US, Afghanistan agree to accelerate Afghan peace talks

The United States and Afghanistan said Thursday they have agreed to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the conflict in the country. In a joint statement, Washington and Kabul said the agreement had been reached in a telephone call between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and US-Afghan special representative Zalmay Khalizad had been sent to Kabul to "discuss in detail the next steps on the road to peace," the statement said.