Taliban

One day after the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban, Ashraf Ghani said a proposed prisoner swap between the Taliban and his government could not be a precondition for talks.

The step is meant to serve as an initial confidence-building measure and would last for seven days. A more-formal agreement could be signed in the coming weeks.

A U.S. official tells NPR that two people died when the aircraft crashed in Ghazni province. The official blamed mechanical problems — but the Taliban claim to have shot it down.

The death of an American Green Beret on Monday raised the tally of U.S. forces killed in action in Afghanistan to 20 this year, the highest since combat operations officially ended in 2014.

President Trump made a surprise visit to troops in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving Day, announcing that he believes the Taliban wants a cease-fire and that he is restarting peace talks with the group.

American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks were abducted in 2016 from Kabul, where they taught at the American University. Three Taliban commanders held by the Afghan government were also freed.

The Babur Garden is a place of respite in an often chaotic city. "Do you think the Taliban will ever accept this?" asks one man, pointing to himself and his fiancée, strolling among blooming roses.

After U.S.-Taliban talks excluded Afghanistan's government and collapsed last month, the senior official tells NPR that the only way to lasting peace is to include the country's leaders.

The attack, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility, occurred as President Ashraf Ghani was making a rare personal appearance. Due to security concerns, he gives many speeches through his laptop.

"We welcome the acknowledgment of our humanitarian principles and renewal of security guarantees," says the Red Cross leader in Afghanistan.

The leader of a pro-democracy group in Kabul says most of his friends "are supporting the decision of Trump." The president called off a potential deal with the Taliban in a series of weekend tweets.