The White House said Trump went to Afghanistan to visit soldiers for Thanksgiving, but Trump flew more than 13 hours in the night not just to eat turkeys.

On their journey to Afghanistan on November 27, White House spokesman Stephanie Grisham told reporters the secret flight "was really for Thanksgiving and showed support to the soldiers" and "no. relating to the peace process "with the Taliban.

Trump left on Air Force one in the evening of November 27 in the United States, arrived in Afghanistan at 20:33 and returned to Washington after more than 3 hours. The president had a traditional dinner of turkeys and mashed potatoes with the soldiers, then took photos and addressed in front of 1,500 soldiers at a hangar.

However, in a speech to US servicemen, Trump vowed to resume talks with the broken Taliban rebels less than three months ago, to end the 18-year war.

"Our army will stay until an agreement is reached, or a 'comprehensive victory' is won, and the Taliban is looking forward to it," Trump said in a statement. He also confirmed that he would reduce the US military's presence from about 12,000 - 13,000 to 8,600 soldiers in Afghanistan.

"The Taliban want an agreement and we are conducting negotiations," Trump recalled during a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at a US military base north of Kabul.

According to Michael Crowley, a New York Times columnist, Trump's surprise announcement of resumption of the talks came at a critical time when the United States was bogged down in the increasingly controversial election and people debate. with a military campaign in Afghanistan, starting after the September 11, 2002 terrorist attack.

"The two sides agreed that if the Taliban seriously want to reach a peace agreement, they must accept a ceasefire. We also emphasize that for any peace deal to be maintained, the cave the hiding places for terrorists outside Afghanistan need to be removed, "Ghani said on Twitter.

But the Taliban have not shown any signs of wanting a ceasefire. Instead, the militant group insists the group only agrees to negotiate with Afghan political leaders about the future of the country when US troops withdraw.

However, the President's visit has another political purpose. Trump was angry and pulled out of talks with the Taliban in September when the parties seemed to have "touched one hand" to the deal. However, he now wants to find a foreign "victory" that can be "told" during the 2020 presidential campaign. Attempts to negotiate denuclearization with North Korea and restrain Iran with economic pressure Trump's results didn't yield much results.

During the visit, Trump proudly told about US military exploits before al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) self-proclaimed. Trump also said that the Taliban would be willing to accept a ceasefire during the negotiations. This is exactly what the Ghani government has called for in previous talks.

Trump arrived in Afghanistan just a day after a car bomb killed 13 people at a wedding in northern Afghanistan, a Taliban-controlled area.

If Trump reaches a peace agreement with the Taliban or has a "total victory", that is, completely destroying the Taliban, Trump will fulfill his promise of "pulling America out of endless wars."

US military and diplomatic leaders have long left open the possibility of military victory in Afghanistan. They think the only way to end this war is a political solution.

"The talks are the only way to bring the United States out of the war, but it will be very long and difficult," said James Dobbins, former envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan under Presidents George Bush and Barack. Obama.

"Previously, the two main options were negotiation or victory on the battlefield. However, now the options are only negotiation or unilateral withdrawal," Dobblins said.

Trump also expressed the same view when he made a speech during the visit, declaring that "the battle will not be decided on the battlefield" and "there is a need to reach a political solution".

US diplomats have been quietly maintaining the peace process since Trump announced his withdrawal, and have "relaxed" moves such as exchanging prisoners to build trust.

"Even after Trump ended the talks in September, the Taliban did not harshly criticize the President. This led experts to think that the rebel group is still 'salty' with the United States," Crowney said. .

The Thanksgiving visit also helped Trump "heal" the relationship with the Pentagon and military leaders after intervening in the process of trialing offenders. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was forced to resign on November 24 after privately negotiating with the White House about how to handle special sergeant Edward Gallagher, who was jailed for taking photos with IS fighters' bodies and was accusations of shooting civilians.

Trump is determined to get the United States out of the war in Afghanistan, costing trillions of dollars a year and the lives of many American soldiers. In November, he went to Dover Air Force Base in the state of Delaware to commemorate two US servicemen killed in a November 20 plane crash in Afghanistan.

At the heart of previous talks with the Taliban is the agreement that the US will withdraw if the Taliban severs ties with terrorist allies like al-Qaeda and negotiates with the Afghan government. US forces in Afghanistan are rotating soldiers without sending more troops. In October, General Austin Miller, commander of the US military in Afghanistan, said the number of troops stationed here has dropped by about 2,000 people in the past year.

US military officials are concerned that if Trump is determined to withdraw his troops according to the voter's promise, reduce US interference abroad, national security will be in jeopardy.

General David Petraeus, a former US military commander in Afghanistan, warned that an early withdrawal could enable the Taliban to expand in the region, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump's close adviser. foreign policy, also said that withdrawing troops could "pave the way for another 9/11".