US Defense Secretary Meets Afghan President Amid Peace Process Review

Austin said on Twitter he had come to "listen and learn", on his first trip to Afghanistan since his appointment.

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in an unanounced visit to Kabul on Sunday, as Washington reviews the peace process there and its planned troop withdrawal. Austin said on Twitter he had come to "listen and learn", on his first trip to Afghanistan since his appointment. "This visit been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here with (U.S. President Joe Biden)," he added. The meeting comes at a crucial time for the Afghan peace process ahead of a May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops agreed by the insurgent Taliban and the administration of previous U.S. President Donald Trump.