Mike Pompeo visits Afghanistan despite worldwide spread of Coronavirus

Mike Pompeo visits Afghanistan despite worldwide spread of Coronavirus.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday.

His visit comes amid Coronavirus pandemic threat to the entire world but Pompeo chose to visit Afghanistan instead of dealing with COVID-19 related threats.

Mike Pompeo visits Afghanistan

Pompeo is meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani along with his archrival Abdullah Abdullah, who also claims the presidency, following a contested election last year.

The visit comes just a day after the Afghan government and the Taliban held their first discussion on arranging prisoner exchanges — a key step in a broader push for peace following a withdrawal deal signed between Washington and the militants last month.

The agreement established a framework for bringing to an end America’s longest war following the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

American envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the lead negotiator in the Taliban talks, tweeted Sunday it was “urgent” to quickly conclude plans for the prisoner swap — as called for in the US pact with the Taliban — with the coronavirus pandemic complicating diplomatic contacts.

The deal called for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban fighters held by Kabul, and up to 1,000 members of the Afghan government forces in insurgent hands.

GTV