Pompeo was set to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani along with his archrival Abdullah Abdullah, who also claims the presidency, following a contested election last year. In exchange, the Taliban committed to fight jihadist groups like Al-Qaeda and promised to negotiate for the first time with Kabul. Political chaos in Kabul has further complicated matters, with Ghani's former chief executive Abdullah also claiming the presidency following last September's bitterly disputed election. The impasse and continued fighting along with the world's preoccupation with coronavirus have sparked fears the window for a peace deal is closing fast. Afghan health officials have reported just 40 cases of the novel coronavirus and one death to date.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 23, 2020 07:52 UTC