Trump surprises troops with turkey, Taliban news

President Donald Trump surprised U.S. troops with Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday during his first trip to Afghanistan. The president announced that negotiations between the United States and the Taliban have resumed. “There’s nowhere I’d rather spend Thanksgiving than right here with the toughest, strongest, best, and bravest warriors of the face of the earth,” Trump told the soldiers. He also met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Air Force headquarters.

What is the United States hoping to get out of the renewed talks? Currently, about 12,000 members of the U.S. military remain in Afghanistan. Trump said the United States wants a cease-fire that will pave the way for a withdrawal of U.S. troops. The president plans to initiate a partial withdrawal soon, saying he is moving forward with reducing troop levels to around 8,600. But Trump insisted the United States will not leave Afghanistan “until we have a deal or we have total victory.”

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in The Sift about Trump suspending peace talks in September.