Observers question the timing of Trump's now-canceled Taliban talks

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In a series of tweets Saturday, President Trump said he canceled secret meetings with Taliban leaders and, separately, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani that would have taken place at Camp David. Trump said they were scheduled for Sunday, although a senior administration official said the talks would have been held Monday, The New York Times reports.

The president called the whole thing off, however, after the Taliban claimed responsibility for a recent attack in Afghanistan that left a U.S. soldier dead. "If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don't have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway," Trump wrote.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.