Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived late Monday in Qatar where he will hold the highest-level talks ever between the United States and the Taliban, the State Department said.

Pompeo, who earlier in the day held talks in Kabul, "is going to meet with Taliban officials in Doha including Mullah Baradar, the Taliban's chief negotiator, and two others to press them to comply with the agreement signed last month," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.

The two men were to meet at al-Udeid Air Base which is used by US and other forces in the Gulf state that served as the host to a year of talks between the United States and the Taliban.

The insurgents signed an accord on February 29 with the United States, which has started to pull troops out of Afghanistan in a bid to end America's longest-ever war.

But the deal has since been stuck, with the Afghan government hesitant at releasing prisoners and the Taliban yet to open talks with Kabul.

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Australian police probe soldier who shot unarmed Afghan
Sydney (AFP) March 20, 2020
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