Afghanistan peace talks on hold

President Donald Trump said he canceled a secret meeting scheduled for Sunday with Taliban leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Camp David. The United States put peace talks on hold with the Taliban and recalled special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad after the extremist group intensified attacks in Afghanistan.

Why the sudden shift? Khalilzad had led talks with the Taliban for nearly a year with hopes of ending the 18-year war. But even as he touted reaching a deal with the extremist group “in principle” last week, insurgents killed more than 40 people, including a U.S. service member, in two attacks. Trump tweeted that the attacks signal the Taliban doesn’t “have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway.” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid warned halting the talks will lead to more losses for the United States.

Dig deeper: Last week, Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi questioned how the United States planned to implement parts of its tentative deal with the Taliban.