U.S. freezes out top Afghan official in peace talks feud: sources
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In fallout from a feud over U.S.-Taliban peace talks, a senior U.S. diplomat has told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that U.S. officials will no longer deal with his national security adviser, four knowledgable sources said on Monday.
The decision to end U.S. contacts with Hamdullah Mohib will almost certainly raise tensions between the allies over Kabul’s exclusion from negotiations that have mainly focused on a U.S. troop pullout and how the Taliban would stop militant groups from using Afghanistan as a springboard for attacks.
Mohib had launched a blistering public attack last Thursday on the chief U.S. negotiator, Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad.
The following day, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale told Ghani by phone that Mohib would no longer be received in Washington and U.S. civilian and military officials would not do business with him, the sources said.
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WORLD NEWS MARCH 18, 2019 / 6:43 PM / UPDATED 28 MINUTES AGO
Jonathan Landay
4 MIN READ
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan/u-s-freezes-out-top-afghan-official-in-peace-talks-feud-sources-idUSKCN1QZ2OU
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