President Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), Abdullah Abdullah, left Kabul late last night, June 23, upon an official invitation of the US government to meet with US President Joe Biden and other US officials, the Presidential Palace said in a statement.
The President and the HCNR Chairman are accompanied by a number of top government officials in their first visit to the United States since Joe Biden elected as the president of the country.
First Vice President, Amrullah Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Haneef Atmar, National Security Adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, and Waheed Omer, a senior adviser to the President, are other members of the high level delegation visiting Washington.
This comes amid a growing Taliban attacks which have led to the collapse of nearly 70 districts since the beginning of foreign troops withdrawal on May 01. Moreover, the peace talks between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban which was kicked off in September 2020 as part of the US-Taliban peace deal has remained halted in Doha.
Abdul Matin Beig, Habiba Sarabi, and Fatema Gilani – all members of the government-led negotiation team with the Taliban – are also accompanying the President in his trip to the US.
The President and his accompanying delegation will meet US President Joe Biden, members of the US Congress and Senate, top US officials, and other influential figures separately, the Presidential Palace said in its statement.
As per statement, in this visit the top Afghan delegation will discuss the new chapter of US-Afghanistan relations, strengthening diplomatic relations, providing support of the Afghan defense and security forces, the US economic and development cooperation, and a joint counter-terrorism efforts.
