Trump says he spoke by telephone with Taliban leader

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had a “good” conversation with the leader of the Afghan Taliban.

"We've agreed there is no violence, we don't want violence. We'll see what happens. They're dealing with Afghanistan, but we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for the National Institutes of Health.

The U.S. president did not offer additional details about his conversation with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The call comes just days after the U.S. signed a peace accord with the Taliban meant to pave the way for the U.S. to end its 19-year conflict in Afghanistan and bring intra-Afghan peace.

The landmark deal signed Feb. 29 in Doha, Qatar, lays out a timetable for full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan within 14 months.

It is expected to lead to dialogue between the Taliban and the Kabul government, seeking an end to the armed conflict that began in 2001.

The Taliban agreed to halt attacks in the war-torn country in return for a prisoner swap and the U.S. lifting sanctions.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani objected to the arrangements that would see his government release 5,000 Taliban prisoners as a condition for direct talks between the two sides.

The Taliban, meanwhile, announced it was resuming attacks on Afghan forces after implementing a seven-day “Reduction in Violence” pact last week.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Anadolu Agency the proposed intra-Afghan talks would only begin once their prisoners were freed.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Afghan citizens took to the streets in various cities to protest the Taliban announcement.

The UN, EU, and the U.S., on the other hand, urged insurgents to abide by the peace agreement that was reached after years of negotiations between multiple stakeholders, including Pakistan.