美国最高军事官员马克·米利将军会见了塔利班本周早些时候，卡塔尔的谈判代表努力推动结束不断增加的暴力冲突阿富汗，他的办公室周四证实。
米莉还前往喀布尔会见阿富汗总统，讨论安全局势，这可能会影响在卡塔尔举行的阿富汗和平谈判的任何进展，谈判已经持续了几个月。
米莉的发言人萨拉·弗莱厄蒂(Cmdr. Sarah Flaherty)在一份声明中说:“在国务院和阿富汗和解特别代表(SRAR)的协调下，参谋长联席会议主席马克·米勒将军和SRAR谈判代表在卡塔尔多哈会见了塔利班代表，这是美国和塔利班协议中建立的军事渠道的一部分。”。
她补充说:“主席讨论了立即减少暴力和加快谈判政治解决进展的必要性，这有助于区域稳定和保障美国的国家利益。”。
尽管塔利班坚持其承诺，根据今年早些时候达成的美国-塔利班和平协议，不攻击驻阿富汗的美国军队，但它大幅增加了对阿富汗安全部队的攻击，以努力在和平谈判中获得影响力。
“我与塔利班和阿富汗政府讨论的最重要的部分是需要立即减少暴力，”米莉告诉陪同他访问卡塔尔和阿富汗的美联社记者。“其他一切都取决于此。”
美联社(Associated Press)报道称，米莉周二的会议实际上是他与塔利班谈判人员的第二次未经宣布的会议，因为他也在6月初与他们会面，这次会议现在才公开。
部长迈克·蓬佩奥在11月与塔利班谈判代表会面，试图刺激停滞不前的谈判。本月早些时候，随着阿富汗和塔利班谈判代表就会谈的规则和程序达成一致，会谈取得了一些进展。
但是美国与塔利班的最高将领会议的象征意义是值得注意的，因为米莉已经三次带领军队在阿富汗服役。
在多哈会谈后，米莉前往阿富汗喀布尔，在那里他会见了阿富汗总统阿什拉夫·加尼。
“高级领导人讨论了阿富汗当前的安全环境，”弗莱厄蒂在另一份声明中说。“美国仍然完全致力于通过支持实现和平的包容性努力来帮助阿富汗人创建一个安全和稳定的阿富汗。”
根据唐纳德·特朗普总统的命令，美国军队有望在1月中旬之前将阿富汗的兵力从4500人减少到2500人。这一部队削减仍将使美国部队能够维持其对阿富汗部队的建议和援助任务，并执行反恐任务。
鉴于阿富汗的暴力水平不断上升，尚不确定即将上任的拜登政府是否会同意按照美国-塔利班和平协议的规定，在5月前全部撤出美军。
Top US general meets with Taliban negotiators
Gen. Mark Milley, the top U.S. military officer, met withTalibannegotiators in Qatar earlier this week to push for an end to increased violence inAfghanistan, his office confirmed on Thursday.
Milley also traveled to Kabul to meet with Afghanistan’s president to discuss the security situation that could impact any progress in the Afghan peace talks taking place in Qatar that have dragged on for months.
“In coordination with the Department of State and the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation (SRAR), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley and SRAR negotiators met with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar as part of the military channel established in the U.S.-Taliban agreement,” said Cmdr. Sarah Flaherty, a spokesperson for Milley in a statement.
“The Chairman discussed the need for an immediate reduction of violence and accelerate progress towards a negotiated political solution which contributes to regional stability and safeguards U.S. national interests,” she added.
While the Taliban has maintained its commitment not to attacked American forces in Afghanistan under the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement from earlier this year, it has significantly ramped up attacks on Afghan security forces in an effort to gain leverage in the peace talks.
“The most important part of the discussions that I had with both the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan was the need for an immediate reduction in violence,” Milley told an Associated Press reporter accompanying him on the trip to Qatar and Afghanistan. "Everything else hinges on that.”
The Associated Press reported that Milley’s meeting on Tuesday was actually his second unannounced meeting with Taliban negotiators as he had also met with them in early June, a meeting only being made public now.
Secretary of StateMike Pompeomet with the Taliban negotiators in November in an effort to spur the stalled talks. Earlier this month slight progress was made in the talks as Afghan and Taliban negotiators agreed on rules and procedures for the talks.
But the symbolism of America’s top general meeting with the Taliban is noteworthy, given that Milley has served three tours leading troops in Afghanistan.
After his meeting in Doha, Milley traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan where he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
“The senior leaders discussed the current security environment in Afghanistan,” said Flaherty in a separate statement. “The United States remains fully committed to helping Afghans create a secure and stable Afghanistan by supporting inclusive efforts to achieve peace.”
The U.S. military is on track to reduce troop levels in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-January as ordered by President Donald Trump. That troop reduction will still enable U.S. troops to maintain their advise and assist mission with Afghan forces and to carry out counterterrorism missions.
Given the increased violence levels in Afghanistan, it remains uncertain if the incoming Biden administration will agree to a full pullout of U.S. forces by May as outlined in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement.
