US delegation meets Pakistan Army chief General Bajwa; discuss Afghanistan, regional security: Sources

Two days after US President Trump called off negotiations with the Taliban, a seventeen-member US delegation met Pakistan Army chief General Bajwa in Islamabad.

The US delegation discussed regional security and the Afghan peace process, according to sources.

The US team left for Afghanistan after meeting the Pakistan Army chief, the sources added.

In a tweet on late on Saturday, President Trump had said that major Taliban leaders were set to meet him at Camp David, with Afghan President Ghani due to meet him separately, an announcement which surprised many in Washington with the anniversary of September 11 approaching.

However, the US president added that he had "cancelled the meeting and called off the peace negotiations" after the Kabul attack in which 12 people were killed including one US solider and a Romanian service member which was claimed by the Taliban.

"What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position? They didn’t, they only made it worse!" he said. "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 added.

President Ashraf Ghani in a statement said, "The Afghan government, in relation to the peace, appreciates the sincere efforts of its allies and is committed to working together with the United States and other allies to bring lasting peace."

The peace talks fell apart months of closed-door meetings between Taliban officials and the US in Doha spearheaded by US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad. The US recalled its special envoy as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a television channel that Taliban had "overreached" with the car bomb attack which led President Trump to pull out of talks with the Taliban.

"Taliban demonstrated either that they weren't willing to or couldn't live up to the commitment they needed to...reduce violence there," Pompeo said.