Pompeo makes urgent trip to Kabul

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to and from Afghanistan on Monday to jump-start stalled peace talks. He met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, before a joint meeting with both men. It was not immediately known what, if any, agreements the leaders made.

What stalled the talks? Both Ghani and Abdullah claimed victory in the September presidential election and took the oath of office at simultaneous ceremonies. This month, Ghani also postponed the release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners, a precondition for getting negotiations started between the government and the Islamic terror group. In an urgent bid to save the deal, Pompeo made the trip despite canceling at least two domestic trips during the coronavirus outbreak.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on the fear and unrest in Afghanistan after U.S.-Taliban peace talks broke down in September.