Trump speaks with Taliban leader

US President Donald Trump spoke by telephone with chief Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund on Tuesday, the first known conversation between a US leader and a top Taliban official.

Taliban’s chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Trump held a 35-minute telephone call on Tuesday, a Taliban spokesman said, with Trump later confirming the call to reporters in the White House.

The call came three days after Baradar and US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad signed an agreement in Qatar for a withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

According to Al-Jazeerah, Trump has said he held a “very good talk” with the Taliban leader in what may be the first direct discussion between a US leader and a senior Taliban official.

“I spoke to the leader of the Taliban today,” said Trump. “We had a good conversation. We have agreed there is no violence. We don’t want violence. We’ll see what happens … We had actually a very good talk with the leader of the Taliban.”